


Links

by metamorcy



Category: Tales of Graces
Genre: Family, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, lambda is so adorable
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-11
Updated: 2014-03-11
Packaged: 2017-12-11 13:19:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 26,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/799179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/metamorcy/pseuds/metamorcy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sharing a body between two souls will always have conflict, worse when neither is fighting for it. Even when not facing their internal problems, they have more issues outside to deal with together. "Asbel, why am I not surprised you became close friends with Lambda." Drabbles about Lambda and Asbel's relationship during and after the game.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Fireworks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally, Lambda was supposed to leave at the end of the game but we'll just ignore that and said they came back home with Asbel.

Asbel didn't know that having Lambda living inside him would be so interesting. There were, of course, times it was a headache and others when it was a blessing, but regardless of any troubles that came his way, he would always know that he would never be alone and that there would always be someone there beside him. It was a wonderful feeling to have. Still, there were times when he had to put up with Lambda's curious nature towards everything. He couldn't blame him. There was so much he didn't know about, and things were different than how they were one thousand years ago.

"Fireworks?"

Asbel smiled softly to himself at the questioning tone in Lambda's voice as they overheard a conversation between two girls when they passed by. Apparently, the close town was having a festival and fireworks was a must for that place. The red head chuckled and kept walking, talking to his dear friend. "How do I explain fireworks? They are like colorful explosions in the sky but they make a lot of loud noises."

"That doesn't sound very safe." Lambda huffed from within their mindscape, but continued to look through Asbel's eyes.

"Well, I guess it depends on who's handling it. It can be dangerous if it isn't done correctly but it…it can really be pretty." Asbel peered towards the townspeople, waving at them, before heading towards his own business. He quickly checked the stock of the stores, making sure that everything was up to date, and if there were any complaints about something. From there, he would decide whether or not he would be able to fix it or get someone else to do it. All in all, it was just a normal day for him and the rest of the town. Sophie was hanging out with Pascal, and only they knew what was happening – they were probably tinkering around with that odd machine that somewhat looked like him. Cheria was out working in the relief organization, helping a town that had just recently suffered from a monster attack, which left him all alone in the manor with his nagging mother, who was still demanding him to get a wife. Speaking of which, "Hey, let's go see the fireworks."

There was a pause on Lambda's side. "You're simply saying that to escape going home."

Asbel simply laughed in response, grinning slightly as he went towards the manor to alert someone of where he was heading to. Luckily for him, he had finished the paperwork for the day. "That's true, but come on, I'm thinking of this as a break and you're thinking of this as a chance to sate your curiosity."

"How rude. Don't put me at your level."

"Yeah, yeah." The red head went towards the manor, spotting Frederic outside the doors as the older man was about to tend to some business. He alerted the butler of his plans of the day and was expecting some resistance but received none. Instead the older man kept edging him to go ahead, pushing him down the road with a content smile on his wrinkled face and mumbling words of 'good luck' and 'Be safe'. Asbel raised an eyebrow at the unusual behavior but didn't question it as this meant some freedom he had wanted to taste for a while. He rushed out of Lhant, carrying only what he needed, seeing as the trip was only an hour away, and passed the gates. He waved to the guards before turning his back towards them and walked on the road.

"Asbel." The swordsman blinked as he heard his friend talking to him, and almost stopped. "You stated that these fireworks are colorful. How so?"

"I think that's something you should see for yourself. I can try and explain it to you all I can, but to see is to believe. Nothing takes your breath away more than something beautiful. And I heard that tonight will be clear of any precipitation." He continued on, sometimes being stopped by a monster or two, but those were easy to defeat. They were nowhere near as powerful as those when Little Queen or Lambda were causing trouble; these things were simple KOs . "Hey, Lambda?" When he felt that he had the other's attention, he continued. "Is there anything else you're interested in? We can either go explore or something. I don't mind."

"Not that I can currently think of."

"Well, whenever you want to do something, let me know. You're even allowed to take over my body if you like. Just make sure that you don't get me in trouble." Asbel felt his friend shift uncomfortably but regardless, he knew that the other was happy at that announcement. He knew there were times when Lambda wanted to go out and explore with his own body movements and touch something directly and not through someone else. And after living with the other so long, Asbel had complete faith that his dear friend would always remain by his side. For a moment, he paused in the center of the road and closed his eyes, searching down deep within his mind, and found the familiar presence he was looking for. Taking his friend, he shoved him into control.

As the eyes opened back up, they were no longer a heterochromatic blue and purple, but just purple. Lambda blinked for a moment, startled that he was suddenly shoved into control and peered around his surroundings with uttermost curiosity. He listened to a small laughter from within and smiled in content, allowing his friend to do whatever he wanted. Testing out his body, he flexed his fingers before peering up at the road, continuing down it with little trouble. Fighting with Asbel's sword and sheath arts was no problem, for he was familiar enough with weapons and style to know how to use it in combination with his own. He wasn't as flashy in his moves and was more precise with his strikes, something that was greatly different from his counterpart. His powers flowed freely into the sword, using it into his strikes, and found himself enjoying the feeling of rush and adrenaline that coursed through his entire body.

"You're enjoying this." Asbel could be heard laughing wholeheartedly, his smile spreading from one ear to another ear. Lambda didn't dare respond back to that, scratching the side of his cheek, and continued ahead, knowing that argument with that wouldn't benefit him at all.

The town was in the distance and the bright colors made it obvious to any far seer. Flags, balloons, and many more were flying in the air and flashing lights gathered people's attention. Smiling faces and laughter filled Lambda's ears and he observed his surroundings as families and couples walked by. Friends were gathered together in groups, some eating the goodies that were being sold, others were enjoying the dancing and singing. With Asbel's guide, he was able to buy some sort of fluffy candy substance and it seemed to melt on his tongue. It was overly sweet but it wasn't bad. Asbel told him it was called 'Cotton Candy' and plucked pieces of it off as he went around. He watched as people danced in the streets, their movements routine and fast. They swung around in circles, went under arms, and around. And there was a group singing in the background, playing instruments that rattled over the area.

Before long, Lambda settled at a table, finishing off his candy, and resumed watching everyone else. Time seemed to pass by quickly, the sun setting in the distance and the sky darkening. The lights of the town got brighter in the darkness and the cheerfulness that seemed to overlap the entire town continued to grow.

Lambda went for more food, munching on things he found interesting, before sitting back down at a table to watch. He conversed with Asbel, questioning on some of the things he saw before something loud broke his thoughts. He blinked his purple eyes curiously and snapped his head up towards the dark sky. A bright light flashed across it, and then blew up into multiple dots, spreading out into different directions. Then another light went shooting upward before exploding into bright colors multiple times. More followed, and before long the entire sky was covered with flashes. He could hardly see the stars behind and his eyes could only stare at the sparkles in wonder, amazed by its beauty. "Amazing..."

"Yeah, it is." Asbel smiled from within and peered through his own eyes to watch, and memorized just as much as Lambda. They didn't know how much time passed as they stared, while the town finally quieted down. The only thing that could be heard was the popping sound and the wind. The smell of smoke was strong but no one cared, for they were all caught up in the flashes.

"Asbel." Lambda's deep voice resonated vividly in the thick air. "Thank you for bringing me here."


	2. Assassination Attempt

Lambda always figured that being the head of a town would bring trouble to Asbel and in turn, himself. He didn't need to be omniscient to figure that out, for he himself had been chased after simply for who he was. But that was long ago. Now, he lived in peace, knowing that there was no one out there to kill him. However, that didn't mean the same for Asbel. No, the red head had his own problems – assassinations, to be exact. Not everyone wanted peace, and there were many groups out in the world that were after Lhant's supply of cryas and would do anything possible to get their filthy hands on them.

While his shared body required sleep, Lambda was lucky enough to not need it. At times during the night, he would look out the window towards the night sky and stare at the stars to pass time. Tonight was different. He didn't get to watch the twinkling stars this time. His ears perked up to some odd sounds that were coming from outside, ones that were unusual. It was faint and almost unnoticeable if Lambda wasn't familiar with his surroundings. Concentrating harder, he heard footsteps and bits of grass getting crushed underneath someone's foot. Really, that was all he needed to know that there was danger. Asbel's sword was close by, within arm's length, and Lambda took over the sleeping body, remaining on guard for his dear friend. He could feel his counterpart still slumbering away, not noticing the shift of control, and he was just fine with that.

Lambda went still when he heard the side window open and the clanking of metal – something was being pulled out of its sheath. Mentally, he growled, listening to the footsteps get closer to his position before striking. He grabbed the sword and quickly slashed across the intruder's chest, almost ending the person's life if the man hadn't dodged at the last moment.

"So you managed to dodge." Lambda spoke quietly, standing up from the bed, holding the blade tightly in his grasp. His purple eyes observed the stranger intently, looking over the black suited clothes and then at the knife that was in the person's hand that might have been used to end Asbel's life. "I take it that you're an assassin after Asbel's life."

The narrowed eyes alerted him that that was the truth but there was confusion at the same time. Lambda knew why. "Are you not Asbel Lhant, the lord of Lhant?"

"Yes and no. This body belongs to Asbel but I am not Asbel. I am Lambda and I will not permit any harm to this man." As he stated those words, the confusion on the assassin's face continued to grow but Lambda paid no attention to it and went forward to strike, hoping to finish off this ridiculous fight. However, what he didn't expect was the man dodging to make another strike at him but Lambda didn't back down. No, he was going to protect his friend with all his might. Summoning his powers, he blasted the fool of a human to the other side of the room, effectively killing him in one hit.

Flexing his fingers from the usage, Lambda straightened his form and peered down at the intruder, making sure that the other wouldn't get up again, before sighing deeply. He ran a hand through his hair and closed his eyes for a moment to relax, the surge of his powers still swirling within him. As silence began to settle back into the room, it was interrupted by a knock on his door, alerting him of someone else's presence.

"Lord Asbel! I heard some noises! What's going on?" The door knob rattled and eventually slammed opened, revealing a flustered Frederic running into the room. He took one look at Lambda and then at the stranger before piecing everything together. "Oh my! I can't believe this happened! Lord Asbel, are you alright? Did he hurt you?"

"Asbel is fine."

Frederic blinked. "What?"

Lambda noticed his mistake. "I mean, I'm fine. I heard the assassin come in earlier and fought him off with ease. There is no need for any concern."

"I see. That's good to hear. Well then, please stay in the guest room while I get the authorities to clean this up. I'll make sure to alert the guards that there has been an assassination attempt on your life."

"Alright but if possible, please keep the guards outside. I won't appreciate it if they disturb Asbel's, I mean, my sleep." Lambda mentally cursed, not used to talking to himself like this. The idiot should really alert Frederic, the person who was around him so much, about his extra personality. With that, he rushed out the room, heading down towards the guest room to rest, not wanting to create any more suspicious notions. Opening the door, he disappeared inside, knowing that he would have to inform Asbel about what happened in the morning. Absently, he wondered how the other was going to receive the information.

Well, that was something he could deal with later.


	3. Huburt Finds Out

Hubert has always worried about his idiot of an older brother. The man was always reckless and did the most ridiculous things to get through. He sometimes wished that his brother had a bit of a brain to actually think with, but he couldn't deny that his brother had a good heart. But even with that said good heart, Asbel was too easy to take advantage of. So being the responsible younger brother, Hubert enjoyed making surprise visits to Lhant to check up on things. He wanted to make sure that everything is safe and sound as it was before he left and that Asbel was actually doing his job.

As he stepped into Lhant, he wandered about the town, purposefully avoiding the manor in order to see his brother in action or if the work the other was doing was good. Just coming in would alert of the whole manor of his arrival, something he'd like to avoid. So as he went towards the main center, he spotted that recognizable red hair and white outfit, knowing that there was only one person who had that appearance. Stepping closer, he observed his brother as he looked out towards the stream below his feet before tilting his head back to peer up towards the sky as if catching something of interest. Hubert followed the vision and saw a bird flying across the sky with a large puff of a cloud just swimming over to cover the sun. He raised an eyebrow at that.

'Ah, still easily distracted…' Hubert huffed before stepping closer to his brother. "Hey, idiot redhead!" Despite his keen observational skills, he hadn't noticed the different way Asbel held himself or the way the left hand was always on top of the sword. As the redhead turned around, he was met with a strong glare, one that made the younger brother freeze in his place. He knew that glare, that shiver down his spine, and those familiar purple eyes.

"Who are you calling an idiot? Perhaps you should look deep within yourself before…" Asbel, no, _Lambda_ traveled off after he noticed who had called him out and stared at the blue-haired man before cursing. "Ah, damn," Shifting his stance, he raised a hand up to run it through his red hair, feeling the soft strands go in-between his fingers. "Asbel, your brother is here."

Hubert shook his head to get his mind working again as he examined his possessed brother. "Lambda…correct?"

"Hmm?" the red head looked at him with disinterest before nodding. "Ah, that's right."

"Why are you-"

"Out?" Lambda huffed, crossing his arms, and stepped closer. He didn't bother with the defensive tensing Hubert revealed and stopped a few inches away from the other person. "Because your brother is far too kind. Well, I can't say it's a bad thing since it allows me to wander about, however, I wish he wasn't such a fool. He lets his guard down too easily, especially during the night. Do you know how many assassination attempts there's been and how many of them I've had to save him from? All of them. Oh, yes, you heard me right, Asbel, you're an idiot. Can't you be smart enough to protect yourself? If anything happens to you, I'd be in trouble as well."

Hubert could only stare as Lambda changed his attention towards his brother, listening to the one-sided bickering. Was Lambda really ranting? Before the soldier realized it, he found himself laughing at the scene. It was funny, the whole situation was. Seems like Asbel and Lambda had become very close friends. Well, at least he knew there was someone out there that would be constantly watching over him and make sure his idiot of a brother would stay alive and watch himself.

Hubert continued to laugh, well aware that he was getting a stare from the redhead and probably from Asbel as well from within. "Oh my, I did not expect this. Well, I think my concerns were unfounded. It seems like there's a guard dog that will keep Asbel in line," Hubert's smile only grew when Lambda began to glare. "It appears like my brother is in good hands, I guess there's no need for me to keep watch over him anymore, I shall hand my job over to you, Lambda."

"I don't want it. Take it back. It's too much trouble."

"Never." Hubert smirked, raising up a hand to push his glasses back.

Lambda continued to glare and before he huffed. "Damnit Asbel, you take over." And with that, the conversation ended. The shift between the two souls were noticeable whereas Lambda was more uptight and had more of an aggressive stance, Asbel was relaxed and had a softer expression. But Hubert couldn't help but think they worked well with each other. Where one lacked in, the other made up.

"Hey, Hubert, how've you been?" Asbel nervously smiled, scratching the back of his head for a moment. He hadn't expected his brother to catch Lambda in control, they both had been so careful to make sure that no one suspected anything, not even Sophie. It was easier to cover up any slips with people that weren't as familiar with him like the townspeople but those that were close or saw him all the time would be able to tell the difference between him and someone else.

"Fine and I see the town is still hanging on with you in charge."

"Hey!"

Hubert smirked, pushing his glasses up by habit. "Well, I guess I'll be here for a few days. Should see mother to let her know I'm still alive and well and that I'm not interested in getting married yet. You know she still keeps pestering me about you."

"I don't need to know that," Asbel grumbled, turning away before pouting. As a few seconds passed, the redhead's expression deepened. "Um, Hubert?" he watched as his younger brother focus on him and sighed. "Please don't let anyone know about Lambda just yet. I don't want them to worry about anything especially when nothing is wrong."

"I guess I can see something going wrong, but I have no worries about you," Hubert shook his head. 'Especially when Lambda seems worried about you and is quite protective. But assassins, brother? If Lambda wasn't there, I wonder what would have happened to you.' Sighing in distress, he rubbed the top of his nose. "Well, I have no plans on letting anyone know, they can find out by themselves. Now, are you going to show me to the manor or what?"

"Seriously?" Asbel groaned but lead the way, wondering if his brother was here just to make him feel bad.


	4. Day on the Beach

Asbel didn't know if getting together with his group would ever not be weird. There were times he wondered how they made it through together with them always arguing and all craziness that occurred all the time. But he guessed it was because last time they had been running around in a hurry to save the world from destruction that they had no real time to actually fight and dispute. They had better things to do.

So heading to the beach with the whole group, Richard included, was probably not the best idea. People seemed to flock to the higher ups in society except for himself and two of the girls. It was funny how out they were compared to the others. Cheria, though not up there in society, had her admirers coming by to stalk, it was funny to watch how flustered she got over every little flirt. The rest of the men, more well-known among the populace, were targeted as prosperous husbands and were tackled repeatedly, forcing them to generally run away and hide. Asbel, on the other hand, was known mainly in Lhant so he was mostly left alone, but it didn't bother him. He just shrugged his shoulders as he wandered off, letting Sophie and Pascal be on their own together, hoping they wouldn't blow something up by accident.

Dressed in his swimsuit, he settled onto a chair and leaned back, letting the sun target his free skin openly. It felt good in the heat and he stretched over the seat to get more comfortable, feeling completely relaxed and free from all the paperwork at home. His multi-colored eyes stared out into the distance, enjoying the view of the gorgeous flowing water and the sun's reflection on the surface. The deep blue was clear and pristine and the light made it spark like little gems were floating on top. It was wonderful. Not too far away, sound of children playing in the water or on the sand reached his ears and he smiled at the laughter.

'Ah, this is great.' Closing his eyes for a moment, he wanted to catch some shuteye, feeling too tranquil to do anything else. Well, that was until he got a tap on his side. Fluttering open, he peered down at a bunch of children that seemed to have gathered around him curiously. Asbel noticed that some were eyeing his sword. "Um…hi?"

"Hey, mister, can you play with us? We want to cut some watermelons to eat, but none of us are strong enough to cut through them." one of the children spoke, nudging on his arm continuously with a wide smile. She pointed into the distance where there were six large watermelons on top of a blanket and one of them looked like it had been hacked at but hadn't been successful in getting into the juicy sweetness inside the hard shell.

"Sure, no problem," Sitting up, he let his bare feet touch the ground, feeling the sand sink into his toes. He lifted his blade and stood up, following the kids over to the spot. There were about ten of them, all about the same age, and only came up to his hip in height. When he knelt down in front of one of the large fruits, he tapped it gently. "So you want me to cut these open?"

"Yeah! Make it look cool too!"

"Cut them into pieces!"

There were more shouts and Asbel couldn't help but smile at it. He glanced around the area, trying to see if he could spot any of his friends, but didn't, they had all disappeared sometime or another which left him all alone. Well, guess he'll be hanging out with kids today. Pulling out his sword, he made the first strike and slashed through the melon before appearing on the other side to make another. The watermelon remained still for a moment before it split into multiple pieces, crumbling apart. There were cheers and claps from the kids and many of them ran forward to grab a chunk of the juicy fruit and began munching like it was something heavenly. Asbel smiled softly at the sight, folding his arms for a moment to watch the sight, smiling to himself. Before long, he was brought out of his present state when another tug occurred on his jacket, a child asking him to cut through another melon.

"Alright, alright." Chuckling, he sliced through it with another quick slash and then followed it with six more. Listening to the kids cheering made him feel pleased and it was great to see them smiling so happily, continuing to work on one fruit after another.

'Is this a normal occurrence among you humans?'

Asbel blinked for a moment before beaming. 'Kinda, I guess it's considered fun. On a hot day, getting something cold and sweet is always the best. Here, try some.' he stepped back to allow Lambda some control and felt himself moving around.

Lambda tasted the watermelon, feeling the sweet juiciness flow over his tongue, and the coldness run down his throat when he swallowed. "It's good."

'Glad to hear that!' Asbel was smiling from within their shared mind scape, glad that Lambda was opening up to the world despite how it had once treated him long ago. 'Have some more if you like. And there's actually one more watermelon to cut. Do you want to do it?'

"Sure." the redhead got into position and sliced up the last fruit, watching the cheerful expressions, and couldn't help but smile softly at the sight. It was odd to be appreciated like this…

'I think someone is getting sentimental.'

"I am not," Lambda huffed, folding his arms, but when he felt a tug on his arm, he found a child holding up a piece of watermelon for him to take. Slowly, he reached out to grasp the hard edges and stared at it for a moment before looking back. "Thank you."

"No, thank you mister! You sure helped us! Thanks again!" the child then ran off, gathering with the others to finish up their little meal.

Lambda tilted his head at the act before taking a bite into the fruit, thinking that today wasn't a bad day to be out despite being really hot.


	5. Lambda Cooks

Asbel stared down at the boiling food in enquiry. He was tired and he knew the rest of the group was as well. They had been accidently attacked during their little get-together by monsters and soon after they escaped, they were once more attacked by a group of bandits. Due to the tiredness of the group, the fight had been somewhat one-sided though they were able to win in the end.

But Cheria had been hurt during the battle, targeted as the main healer of the group and was went after immediately to hinder their group. Everyone had tried their best to protect her, but some managed to get around and make a couple of good swipes. One eventually slit her side, luckily not deep enough for any concerns, before Hubert and Malik was able to take out the remaining men with a spell.

As the others tried to heal up and since Cheria was unable to cook due to her cut, that left only Asbel to cook. He wasn't the best, but at least decent enough. He did have to learn to survive when he was in knight training after all, being unable to cook even the most simplest of meals was a threat to one's life when out alone.

Still, it was hard to do anything when his muscles were sore from the fights. Flexing his shoulders, he stared at the ingredients to see what he could make, determining which would be the best. A couple of things popped into his mind, but were then ignored when he realized he was missing one thing or another.

'Can you make…cajan crab puffs?'

Asbel blinked when he heard Lambda spoke softly to him, ignoring the rest of the world. He tilted his head curiously, 'Cajan crab puffs?'

'Yes, back when I was in that other body of mine, Doctor Cornell would make them for me all the time. It was…my favorite.'

'I see…however, I'm afraid I don't know how to make it.' Asbel sighed, never before hearing that food name.

'I do. And there's another dish as well that you can make with the leftovers,' Lambda spoke softly. 'I can tell you what to do.'

At that Asbel shook his head. 'No, you can do it. Come, take control of our body.'

'What about your friends? They are quite overprotective of you. I highly doubt they would simply let me take control all that easily.'

Asbel simply shook his head, not bothering with a response and pushed the other into control. As he felt his body no longer moving the way he wanted to, he smiled softly and watched over the other happily, glad that Lambda was starting to get used to how things were done. After all, if Lambda was happy, it just made things a whole lot better.

Lambda quickly went to over the food laid out in front of him, chopping what he needed and the extras went into the other dish. Seafood Creole, he had said, something with shrimp, fish, and some other ingredients Asbel has forgotten, never having heard of the dish before. The red head continued to work on the food, ignoring how Sophie was now staring at him curiously, and finished up one section of everyone's meal. He placed the cajin crab puffs to the side after frying them, taking one for himself to savor the taste and his hard work. It was wonderful, like how it had been a long time ago, and the spiciness was just right. Asbel commented on it from within, making Lambda smile in return, unable to help himself do so. For the darker being, it reminded him of his happier moments with Doctor Cornell who was like a father to him.

As he was finishing up the main course, he pulled out some small plates just as Cheria came over to check up on things. She had been expecting some sort of disaster, but instead came to some good smelling food that looked absolutely delicious. For once, she was completely surprised and a little disheartened that Asbel could actually cook for himself. "That looks good, what is it?"

Lambda peered up for a moment, not sure on how to respond, and tilted his head to the side to prevent Cheria from seeing his other purple eye. It would not be good to draw attention to himself. "Cajin crab puffs and seafood creole."

He had hoped that would be the end of it, lightening up his voice so that she wouldn't be able to tell the difference, but the woman persisted. "Oh? I've never heard of those. Why didn't you tell me that you knew some recipes? I would have gladly made them for you during our trip."

"I just knew."

"That doesn't excuse you, Asbel. These are unusual recipes, I bet they will be a hit with the group. But I didn't know you could cook so well…" Cheria picked up one of the puffs and took a bit. Her eyes widened for a moment and for a split second, disappointment flashed in her eyes. Lambda noticed it immediately and knowing Cheria's feelings for the redhead, knew what it stood for. He turned away, he'd rather not deal with such an intrusive woman, but he could not give Asbel control until the food was done, knowing the other's semi-okay skills. "I guess I can't really feed you, huh."

Lambda silently grumbled, wondering why the whiniest of the group had to be the one to come to him. Hell, Pascal and her odd behaviors were easier to understand since everything was out in the clear compared to before. Lambda sighed, was he really going to have to deal with this at this moment.

'Sorry about her.' Asbel spoke from within.

'It's fine. I just need to be careful of what I say or she'll find out.' Lambda thought back, taking another puff to keep his mouth full. He couldn't answer if he was eating after all. His purple eyes continued to examine the food, checking over to make sure that everything was right and that he wasn't missing anything.

"Hey, Asbel, where did you learn to cook?"

'I guess that plan backfired.' Lambda thought to himself, peering up at Cheria in annoyance. At this rate, the woman was going to find out what was really going on. Ah, he might as well say it and get things over with. "Look, will you stop bothering me? Asbel is not here, I have better things to do than entertain you."

The pink-haired girl's eyes widened immediately, flopping back a little in shock. She peered over Lambda's expression, noticing the hardness in the purple eyes and the coldness on the face. Why hadn't she noticed before? Asbel would never speak that coldly, he was always warm and happy, cheering everyone on when they needed. "Lamb…da?"

"Obviously, has your love-filled brain finally decided to wake up and see the truth? Now, don't bother me, I'm cooking." Lambda sneered before turning his attention back to the food. For once, Cheria had gone back to being quiet, not sure on what to say to the other. Asbel scolded him from within, but was ignored immediately, not bothering with such trifling things, and eventually heard him sigh. He knew better than to question Lambda's personality and the way the other did things, though he didn't appreciate the rudeness.

Cheria stepped away but remained quiet, never alerting the others about Lambda's presence, it was as if she had been shocked completely speechless. He bit back into the crab puffs, enjoying the wonderful taste, and once he finished grabbed another one to eat. Soon after he stirred the pan slightly and waited for the food to finish cooking.

'Ah, I think you like these puffs just like Sophie likes Crablettes.' Asbel muttered after a while. 'I wonder if it's because of something in the crabs…'


	6. Gardening

"Hey, Asbel," Sophie spoke from behind the redhead, effectively scaring the wits out of the man, who had just opened the door from his bedroom. Asbel twisted to the side, somewhat twitching with a small drop of sweat running down his chin. The purple-haired girl tilted his head at that and leaned over closer to get a better examination of the other. "Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah. You surprised me, that's all. You shouldn't sneak up on people like that. I swear, you almost gave me a heart attack," The swordsman sighed and reached up to scratch the back of his head, closing his multicolored eyes for a moment before looking back at his adopted daughter. "Well, did you need something, Sophie?"

"Oh, yes, I was wondering about something. How's Lambda today?" Sophie placed her hands together, staring at the purple eye for any signs she seemed to be searching for.

"Again? You know, why don't you ask him? I can't be the in-between man for something like this every day." Groaning, he closed his eyes and shoved Lambda into control. He didn't mind it at first with the questions, but every day was starting to grate on his nerves and there was only so much he could do. Stepping back to allow the two to talk was for the best. Damn, he was starting to sound like Lambda now.

Lambda blinked once he was in control, momentarily raising an eyebrow at Asbel's rapid thoughts, both of his eyes purple, and stared down at the girl. "Yes? You wanted to ask something?"

"Lambda, how've you been?" She looked a little hesitant at having to talk to the other directly.

The red ead folded his arms and stood still, shifting his position comfortably. "Fine I guess, there's not much to say. You should be asking Asbel those questions. Anything that happens to him happens to me as well," He closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath, and turned away. "He lets me do whatever I want whenever I'm out and he does it often enough to keep entertained to a point. It's like we take turns on who is in control not that I mind."

"That's good to hear. Asbel can be too kind at times, he has a really good heart."

"Yes, he does. I'm quite glad that he decided to take me in despite what I had done. I guess if he hadn't neither of us would be here to this day much less talking like this," Lambda unfolded his arms and took a step towards the front door, Sophie following right behind. "I owe this fool my life."

"Fool?"

"Asbel. He's an idiot," Lambda almost chuckled when he heard a 'Hey' in the back of his head. "Always helping others without thinking about or for himself."

The purple-haired girl could only smile at that, shifting her long hair back to keep it from hanging in front of her. "Yes, he's always been like that, but that's what I like about Asbel. So make sure he doesn't go too far. He needs someone to keep a constant watch over him."

"Obviously," Lambda reached forward and pushed open the heavy doors, letting the fresh air breeze past their faces. The sunlight was bright and it took him a moment to adjust to see the outside world. He could hear the birds chirping and water rushing through the banks. It was a good day. Sohpie ran ahead to look at the flowers she's been growing, examining them to see if there was any in trouble or if they needed some extra water. "Well, I'm heading back." Lambda closed his eyes to let Asbel gain back control, except he was just shoved forward once more. He narrowed his eyes at that in confusion, not sure what the other was up to. "Or apparently not, looks like Asbel doesn't want to leave the mind space yet. You'll have to put up with my presence for a little longer."

"That's fine. Do you want to help me water the flowers? It's going to be hot today so they're going to need all the water they can get to survive." Sophie smiled, lifting up a watering can. The liquid inside could be heard swishing side to side within the metal.

"Might as well." Taking the item, he began pouring the cool liquid onto the plants, watching them soak it up quickly. While he was doing that, Sophie ran by to get another watering can and began on the other side, tending to her flowers carefully. She was humming happily to herself, and at times started talking to the flowers for fun.

Lambda glanced up to watch her for a moment before going back to his work, unable to hide the smile on his face. It was a good day.


	7. Exhaustion

'Tired…' Asbel thought to himself as he made a quick swing at a monster, killing it immediately in one strike. He was out of breath and his joints were stinging at the overuse of them, everything just hurt. The redhead knew he was used to this type of strenuous work, but this was too much and he was starting to feel the effects of it.

'You need to rest, fool.'

He closed his eyes for a moment, listening to Lambda speak to him for a moment. His friends were running around, trying to take out the remaining enemies. Sadly for them, they weren't all frontal fighters, many were going back and forth, switching from hitting the enemies head-on to going to the back to cast spells. Asbel was really the only one that was at the front at all times.

"I can't…" Asbel whispered, straightening himself back out, to peer over the field. His sword was hanging at his side, looking for openings to attack. He felt a few healing spells directed at him, but they didn't work all that well. He was tired, not injured.

'You'll fall over at this rate.'

"That's fine. My friends are depending on me to keep the monsters busy." Asbel went forward, striking the creatures with swift movements, however at the last one, he faulted for a moment which gave the monster a chance to slam its long arm into his stomach sending him flying. He could hear some cries of his name, but he ignored it, trying to catch himself. Managing to land on his side, he gasped out in frustration and pain and slowly picked himself up to peer towards the monster that was quickly gaining on him, ready to give the finishing move.

'Idiot.'

Just as the monster was about to strike, a purple barrier surrounded him, bouncing off the attack. The creature looked at it for a moment before trying again, but still didn't succeed in getting through. Instead, it turned away and went towards the other humans. Asbel sighed in relief, collapsing back down onto the ground, his body feeling better now that it was resting.

"Thank you, Lambda."

'I don't need it. I only did it because it'll be a pain to find a new host.'

Asbel smiled, knowing the truth. "Regardless, you still have my thanks." He rolled over onto his back and stared up through the shield to the sky, knowing that he'll be safe at this time being. Closing his eyes, he passed out, well aware of his friends calling out to him, finishing off the rest of the monster group. At least he knew that the battle was over. For now, he can sleep off his fatigue.


	8. Chess

Frederic had expected many things from the man he was serving, but this was not one of them. "Lord Asbel, may I ask so kindly what you're doing?"

"H-Huh?" Asbel snapped his head up, breaking his concentration, and was holding up an item between his fingers. He was hunched over a table, a chess board on top, with multiple black and white pieces all around that were in different spots and other areas. The redhead was currently holding a white piece, the queen by the looks of it. "Oh, Frederic."

"Lord Asbel?" The older man gave a confused look, why would his Lord be playing such a game by himself? It didn't make sense. And since he had known the other for all his life, Asbel had never been one for games like these, that was more on Hubert's side.

It was then that the Lord of Lhant realized what he had been doing and placed the queen down onto a square he seemed to have decided on. He then peered back up, rubbing the back of his head nervously, and wondered how he was supposed to explain this. "Ah, sorry, it's hard to say. But I was…um…testing something."

Frederic simply blinked in confusion. Lord Asbel was testing something with a game of chess? It looked like he was playing against himself and by the looks of it was losing badly from the larger number of white pieces of the other side. A few black was on the redhead's area, a rook and four pawns, but it was only a third of the amount on the black's side. The old man decided it wasn't worth asking and bowed down, exiting the room to keep himself from saying something rude. He knew better than to interfere on one of those days his Lord did something odd, but strangely, he was starting to get used to it.

As the servant left, Asbel sighed in relief, shoulders slumping down somewhat at finally being left alone. "That was close."

'Move the pawn at D5 on the white square to C4.' Lambda's voice echoed slightly from within, not affected by what had just happened.

The redhead sighed at that, moving the piece for the other, before heading back to his own, and moved another of his white ones. It was in the late afternoon so it was quiet around this time, enough for them to concentrate on a simple game like this. Everyone else were either heading back home, finishing up work, or getting ready for dinner, and this left him with plenty of time to mess around once he finished his work and rounds for the morning.

'Move the bishop at E3 to D5.'

And Asbel made the move and soon did his own. They continued onward, slowly working their way through the game, taking out each other's pieces until…

'Checkmate.' Lambda's voice rang through their mindscape, a little bit of a smugness felt within. He had won and by a large margin by the looks of it. The other being had managed to grab almost all of Asbel's white pieces, beating the other into almost what would be considered submission. 'I won.'

The redhead let his shoulders sink, looking over the board and nodded his head in defeat. It was too obvious. "You won," He reached over to start putting everything away. "I don't think I'm actually a good opponent for someone like you, Lambda." Asbel sighed, placing everything within the confines in the back of the board, folding it over like it was a case.

'That is true, you were never the intelligent type.'

"Hey!"

'But then again, I'm not exactly patient enough to play something like this for such a long time.'

Asbel blinked before breaking out into a grin. "I think someone has caught my laziness genes."

'Shut up, idiot.'


	9. Eternal

Asbel had never noticed it until a few years later. It was odd at first, but then it started to show up more and more. He had at first ignored it, burying himself into his works and looking over continuous marriage proposals, but when he saw his mother and his brother one day coming to visit him together, he blinked in confusion. They looked much older than before, like they had aged. But when he looked into the mirror for his own reflection, he simply thought he hadn't changed at all.

When he turned twenty-five, his brother had grown taller, looking more mature, and had lost all the baby-fat that had still been on the cheeks, but Asbel remained the same. He had the same height, build, it was never changing. He still hadn't married yet and there was Cheria, but she seemed to be looking at him in confusion, like there was some hesitation. It was odd, but he ignored it once more and continued to work like always.

It wasn't until a marriage candidate came by and took one look at him that he began to form suspicions. "Lord Lhant?" It was a woman from another family, wealthy to an extent.

"Yes?" He looked up from his papers and smiled softly, standing up from his position. He stopped when he saw some confusion on her appearance. "Miss?"

"You're twenty-six, yes?"

"That's correct."

"You don't look twenty-six, you look like you're a teenager."

That had been the first of the strangeness that started. Many other candidates had stated the same thing as well and soon after walked away, feeling like Asbel looked far too young and that they wanted to wait a few more years for him to grow a little older. Except…he didn't.

He was twenty-eight now and yet, nothing had changed, Cheria was looking at him in shock, gasping at his appearance. She looked scared and frightened like she had found some kind of terrible secret.

"Asbel…I don't know how or why this is happening to you, but I don't think you're aging."

The redhead blinked in confusion. "Huh?"

Malik was besides her, nodding his head. He had some gray hairs starting to show up from his age, he was fifty now after all. "You still look the same as you did ten years ago. Everyone else has grown, except for you and Sophie. But that's not possible unless…"

'Perhaps I might have been the cause.' Lambda's voice echoed sadly from within as if knowing that the blame could only be placed on him.

Asbel blinked at that, tilting his head back curiously. 'What do you mean?'

'I mean that my existence of living inside of you might have caused you to not age correctly or not age at all,' Lambda sighed, feeling a little worried simply because there was a high chance he was correct in his feeling. 'If I can cause mutations to bodies then it wouldn't be impossible for me to affect you after a while simply because you're my host. It's like I've stopped your internal clock from moving forward.'

'It's alright,' Asbel closed his eyes, he should have guessed it was something like that. His mother had aged, her hair wasn't as blue anymore like it used to be, and her hands were starting to shake over time. The wrinkles were much obvious now and her movements were slow. And Frederic was starting to fall apart in a sense, his age catching up, and at times needed a crane to get around correctly.'I wonder, will I die? Or will I simply continue to exist?'

'Who knows, only time will tell.'

Asbel looked over his friends and family, wondering what was going to happen next. But at least he had someone with him, no, two people, Lambda and Sophie. That wasn't too bad. He could continue on with them at their side even if everyone around him disappeared. But it didn't stop the pain that came from the thought of watching everyone around him grow old and fade away.

* * *

Years later, he was almost fifty now and yet nothing had changed. He remained as a teenager, his body never growing old and the suspicious and pointed looks from the townspeople grew. He could never get married, not like this, and he felt himself growing distant from everyone around him.

And one day, he vanished from the Lhant manor with Sophie, leaving everything to his younger brother because he knew that it was impossible for him to remain around anymore.

More years passed and it was going to be the hundredth anniversary of all three countries joining together. However, Lhant was never quiet. Rumors were spreading throughout the town about a re head that looked suspiciously like Asbel wandering around with a woman with long purple hair around the same age, appearing at the tombstone of Huburt and his children.


	10. Malik Visits

Asbel sighed, he didn't know what he had done wrong this time. Cheria was mad at him again, but why? He wasn't sure about that at all. He wished that she would just outright tell him what she wanted, but nope, she kept trying to make him figure it out. It was so confusing, frustrating and he hated it.

Staring at his papers, his work was the only thing that was keeping his brain occupied from his straying thoughts. He couldn't help but sigh deeply, wondering what to do next. All in all, he was so bored, there was just nothing to do except stare ahead at those ugly stacks of paper. That was until the door knocked. Perking up at the thought of a distraction, even if it's temporary, Asbel straightened himself and waited for the announcement of whoever it is.

"Lord Asbel. Sir Malik is here to see you."

"Malik?" Asbel couldn't help but jump up at the thought of meeting up with one of his old friends and went around the table just as the door opened. Smiling brightly, he stepped closer as the older man did the same in return. The brown-haired bladearang user still looked the same as always with that undeniable cheerfulness laced with his serious attitude he always had underneath. "It's good to see you, Captain. How have you been?"

"Good. Just decided to stop by and say hi. I was on the way to Windor after all," Malik folded his arms and examined his ex-student intently, looking for anything that was unusual, but all he saw was Asbel acting completely normal. "What about you? Are you doing alright?"

"Yeah, everything seems to be normal around here. Sophie, as you have probably already seen before coming here, is out in the front yard tending to the flowers like always. I swear I can't even see the ground below anymore and it's too colorful in the morning when I look out the windows. And Cheria, well, I guess she's okay. Wish we wouldn't argue so often," Asbel sighed hopelessly, shoulders dropping downward in defeat, and tilted his head to the side. "I mean, I wish she would just let me know what she wants like Sophie or even Parcel."

'It's because she's a real woman.' Lambda commented within their shared mind. Asbel blinked, a little startled at the sudden voice before relaxing. Realization struck him, raising an eyebrow in questioning manner. Was that a sneer? He thought to himself, wondering if he was hearing things right.

On contrary, Malik grinned unaware of what was going on. "Aww, is Asbel having relationship problems? You're no better than your brother. Do you need someone older to tell you about how to do these things?"

"Ah, no, I'm good," Asbel instinctively took a step back and laughed softly in response. "I mean, Cheria and I have just been drifting apart. Not sure why though, but we just have."

'I have an idea as to why.' Lambda whispered again and for a moment, Asbel froze to listen, turning his head slightly. Malik noticed this change instantly, eyes narrowing, and watched as the red head become confused.

"Asbel?" The bladearang user questioned, stepping forward to reach out towards the other. "You alright?"

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine. Lambda just said something, that's it. It seems like he knows what's wrong, but the moment I try to get an answer, he goes all quiet," Asbel sighed, rubbing the back of his head, before turning around to settle into a chair that was at the side. "I'm getting comfortable with Lambda within me, I like it, and honestly, I don't know what I'd do if he were to disappear now. I'd probably be really lonely without him constantly there."

'Well, Lambda would be one of the reasons why Cheria would get upset about, and then there's that personality of yours. I'm amazed they are able to talk normally.' Malik grumbled silently, knowing that getting those two together was starting to be a lost cause at this rate. They were just like water and oil really, and with an added reactive called Lambda. He stepped over and settled into the chair next to his ex-student and patted him on the back. "I swear, there's too much drama in your life for my tastes. But back to you, I take it that you and Lambda are doing great?"

Asbel seemed to perk up slightly at that and grinned. "Yeah, we're doing great. No problems whatsoever. He's really curious about everything though, always questioning things like Sophie used to do, but I can't blame him. Things are different on this planet and it has been over one thousand years too. But he's still knowledgeable about everything else that was on Fodria. Apparently, he loves technology and messing with it whenever he can."

There was a keyword that snapped Malik's attention, turning towards Asbel with narrowed eyes. "Messing with it? You mean you let him have control?"

"H-Huh?" The redhead stuttered, not liking the glare he was receiving. He backed up carefully within his seat, knowing that one wrong move could send his teacher after him. "Well, yeah, I mean, I'm sharing this body with him, I might as well let him wander around. But don't worry, he's not causing any sort of trouble. I mean it! Though I guess this makes you the second person to find out about this."

"Second? Who's the first?"

"Hubert, he caught Lambda outside in Lhant and thought it was me. They talked for a bit before Hubert let it pass. Not sure why, you'd have to ask him on that one," Leaning back against the chair, his tense stance relaxed and he tilted his head back to stare at the ceiling. "I guess not everyone trusts Lambda yet, but I do. I'm willing to lend him my body anytime. And Sophie trusts him too since she keeps asking me every now and then on how he's doing and seems to enjoy talking to him."

Malik stared at the other for a moment before bursting into laughter. He wasn't exactly sure why he was laughing, but he was. Somehow the situation was just funny to him. To think that after all this time, Asbel hadn't changed and their once enemy had somehow become a close friend to the redhead. If anything, there was only one person he could blame for all this mess the other was in and that was Asbel himself. But despite all the chaos his ex-student got into, Malik knew that everything was perfectly fine or, at least, knew his student would be able to handle himself.

"Captain? What's so funny?" Asbel pouted slightly, staring at his teacher intently, wondering what was making the other get so worked up. It was strange to see Malik laughing like this.

"Nothing, nothing," Waving his hand, the older man couldn't keep his grin off his face and stood up. "Well, I guess I better get going. It was nice to see you again. I'll make sure to stop by the next time I come around or on the way back." Before Asbel could say any goodbyes, his teacher was already moving through the manor still laughing out loud and stepped outside without allowing the redhead to say anything. As the swordsman moved to follow, Asbel just remained at the steps of his home, wondering if there was something wrong with the other.

"Has the Captain gone crazy?"

Lambda snorted. 'Who knows. Eleth high perhaps?'

"We'll go with that."


	11. Royal Visit

Asbel looked up at the castle before him in wonder, questioning why he had been summoned of all people. It made him curious, but then again, he was filled with excitement. He was going to see his dear friend Richard after so long. It had been almost eight months since the last time they had been able to talk together in person, the letters they passed between each other didn't count. Regardless, it was hard to talk to the King with him being in such a high position and there were the manners he had to respect so that Richard would continue to be considered high in other people's eyes. It was unlike when they had been traveling together where the two of them could throw away their positions and talk like old buddies.

It was a pain, Asbel thought to himself, as he ascended the stairs towards the throne room, eyes going over the red carpet that went from the entrance of the castle to the back of the throne. Though Richard had been turned back to normal, the man couldn't help but show his refined taste in everything he decided, from the silverware to the curtains. But that was to be expected.

'Are you worried?' Lambda's voice came from within, keeping Asbel company like usual.

'Kinda, it's hard to say when I'm so mixed about it.' The redhead thought back and stepped into the throne room. The knights who meant to protect the King were watching him closely as always, not wanting anything to happen to their ruler. Asbel ignored them and continued forward until he was just a few feet away from Richard. Immediately, he kneeled down onto one knee, not wanting to make any mistakes in his greeting.

"Ah, Asbel, my good friend. Rise up, it's so good to see you!" The blonde grinned brightly, instantly getting up from his throne to make his way down the steps. His clothes were similar to the ones he had traveled in, the dark-colored ones, and seemed at ease despite them not being exactly royal looking. But no one questioned it, knowing that Richard looked handsome in those clothes and that was all that really mattered. The women flocked to him constantly and some men as well.

The redhead gave a wide grin and shifted upwards, getting ready to greet his good friend. "I know, Richard. It's been a long time. How have you been?"

"Good like always, always swamped with paperwork and the ladies," The king laughed wholeheartedly. "You?"

"I guess I can agree with that, but I have marriage proposals like usual."

'And some assassination attempts.' Lambda commented within, almost with a sarcastic tone. Asbel shifted at that, knowing it was true, and turned his body slightly to hide his flinch.

Of course, the king noticed it right away and narrowed his eyes slightly at that. Richard carefully watched the expressions, searching for anything that might give Asbel away. But he knew it, he had lived with that voice for almost a year previously before the red head allowed Lambda to exist within him. "Is Lambda there?"

"Yeah, he's here listening like always."

Richard rubbed his chin curiously, his eyes peering towards the confused guards before waving his hand. It was clear what the meaning was and the two friends walked into the private chambers to talk, not wanting anyone else to overhear the conversation. It wasn't as if they would really understand in the first place since they didn't know about the redhead's condition. Asbel remained quiet along the way until the door locked behind, leaving him with the blonde alone, and almost relaxed instantly. He was away from the stares, away from the suspicious looks. Richard immediately took off his cloak and settled into a fluffy couch, swinging a leg up to cross it. "Now, tell your wonderful friend Richard all your troubles."

"Haha," Asbel jokingly snorted, sitting on the opposite side where another sofa was at. "It's nothing much. Just the usual troubles here and there."

"Would it be the assassination attempts towards your life?"

Now that caught the redhead's attention, straightening his back in response. He clearly hadn't expected his good friend to catch on like that, much less, find out.

Richard donned on a serious look, folding his arms on top of his legs, and stared down his friend. "The reason why I've called you here besides wanting to see how you've been was that I've been growing concerned about the rising amount of attempts at your life. So far none have succeeded, but we don't know about the future. There's no telling when someone might get lucky." He leaned back, sighing slightly, well aware that Asbel would never go for his help when things mattered. He didn't mind being leaned upon but something like this needed more concern and attention. This was Asbel's life after all.

"Well, about that…" The redhead scratched the back of his head nervously, not exactly sure on how to answer to that. It was true there had been a growing number of attempts on his life for the energy supply they had in the town. Everyone was eyeing Lhant, it was obvious, and he knew he would be dealing with it for the rest of his life. It just wasn't exactly safe anymore for his friends and family, afraid of the kidnapping attempts to get close to him or to try and control him. Cheria had almost been one of the victims if Sophie hadn't stepped in-between and foiled the plan. His mother needed guards whenever she went out and the only reason he had been keeping up with the constant fights was because of Lambda. Most assassinations were in the middle of night and luckily for him, Lambda never slept during those times. "Lambda has been keeping watch. He's been covering for me during the night and I can take care of things during the day. And I haven't been injured yet."

'There's also my regenerative ability you have to take into consideration. Anything that harms you, I can most likely recover.' Lambda spoke.

'I know.' The redhead turned back to his friend with a small smile. "There's no doubt it would be nice to have some extra guards around our town to prevent unwelcomed people from entering, but I'm not sure it will really help. I've even placed extra guards around the mansion, but they are still able to get through."

Richard sighed at that, glad that at least Asbel was doing something about it. Still, he almost broke out into laughter at something. So Lambda had been helping Asbel, it was funny, but not surprising. Asbel had always been that sort of person after all and he suspected that eventually Lambda would fall into the same trap as everyone else. It was too clear that he would. Regardless, he could think about that later, he had more concerning matters to deal with.


	12. Mecha-Asbel

'What's this?' Lambda's voice echoed within the redhead's mind, peering through the multi-colored eyes at the object before them. He was shifting within the mindspace, his words laced with amusement like he was laughing at something, or someone.

Asbel couldn't reply to that as he too was staring at the object, no, machine, just a few feet away from him. He had seen it a couple of months ago from the whole Little Queen business, when it had first been created, and he had expected to never see it again afterwards. The thing was stupid, positively stupid. And yet…and yet here it was before his eyes, staring at him. "Pascal? What are you doing?"

The Amarcian just grinned, giving a thumbs-up with both her hands, and twirled around the machine. Her scarf followed her movements, amazingly never getting caught, and she slammed her hands down onto the colorful metal. The slap echoed within the hallway and there was a small crash that occurred inside the machine like she had hit too hard. But she didn't mind it. "Tada! It's Mecha-Asbel again!"

"I can see that, Pascal…" The redhead sighed heavily, a strong bad feeling growing within the pit of his stomach on how much trouble this woman could bring him and perhaps the whole town of Lhant. She always had a knack for causing chaos, though he couldn't deny that she was good at getting them out of it as well. It was like a repetitive cycle that didn't want to end anytime soon. Though they were good friends, there was only so much nonsense he could put up with before he felt like yanking out his own hair from frustration. "What is it…doing here?"

"Well!" Pascal jumped up onto the machine's shoulders, her legs wrapped around, and began to drum the top of the head where the metal had been shaped like Asbel's own. More sounds began to fill the mansion further. The mecha-Asbel was like a chibified version of himself, no, it _was_ a chibified version. But he didn't have those extra parts on him or those sparkly eyes either. "I decided to visit and didn't really want to walk. So we went vroom, vroom, bang, bang, and here we are!" She spread her arms above her head to add more effect to her words.

Asbel twitched. "And I will never get you for the rest of my life."

'You'll need a mechanical translator to get her, but I doubt it would last long with her attitude. A human would not be able to do it.'

'Ah, she's more likely to try and take the translator apart and see what makes it tick.' The Lord of Lhant rubbed the back of his head, not sure on what to do now that the two were inside the mansion. He didn't want to be seen as rude and tell Pascal to leave the machine outside out of harm's way. He could already see Sophie coming in at any second from her trip and jumping onto the chibi version of himself, adoring it. As for Cheria, he wasn't sure on what her reaction would be.

Pascal gave a wicked laughter to catch Asbel's attention again, and pumped a fist up into the air. "Hey, Mecha-Asbel! We should go to war!"

"I'm Asbel! I'll protect you!" The machine moved its arms as if it was getting into a battle position.

"Don't use my voice!"

"Oh! Oh! I almost forgot!" Pascal, as if not hearing the yelling in front of her, hopped off the shoulders and landed in between, grinning wildly. Asbel twitched again, he knew that grin anywhere. The obvious translation was trouble. Lots and lots of trouble. He took a step back, wanting to gain some space if he needed to make a run for it, and hoped that the mansion would be able to withstand the destruction. The Amarcian twisted around; leaning over Mecha-Asbel's face and sounds of something being slammed into filled the hallway as Pascal repeatedly used her hammer. The maids and butlers, who were in the area, peeked out from their spots from various rooms, curiosity getting the better of them. Still, everyone's attention remained on the woman and her machine. Within moments, she turned back towards the redhead. "Look, I added a special feature!"

Asbel blinked and leaned forward, wondering what had been altered. There on the machine, he saw that one of the blue eyes had been changed to…purple. It was too clear to know what it meant. 'I have a bad feeling about this.'

'Don't we always whenever we deal with this ridiculous woman? And you call her your friend.'

'Lambda, she's your friend, too.'

'No, you can't connect her to me. She's all yours.' Lambda grumbled from within, a wave of irritation coming from the other soul. Asbel placed his hand up against his head, feeling a headache coming on, but he couldn't blame the other on feeling that way.

"Look what Mecha-Asbel can do!" Pascal stepped back and the machine moved in return. It took a step forward and folded its arms as if it was angry or something.

Asbel blinked, that position…

"Hmph, foolish humans and their damn inventions."

There was a pause in the air as the two were trying to process those words. That wasn't Asbel's voice, no, it was someone else's.

"Don't use my voice either!" Lambda snapped, immediately taking control of the shared body, and yanked out his sword, drawing his powers into it. Pascal jumped up in fright, not expecting such a reaction, and was waving her arms before her in surprise. It was like she cared more for her creation than anything else. Asbel just remained quiet within the shared mindspace, feeling wave after wave of anger being rolled through him from Lambda's raging emotions. He started laughing within, knowing this was the very first time he had ever seen his partner so furious. Lambda, in control of their shared body, let his powers swirled around the blade and swung it forward. A vortex of power flashed out, aiming directly at the machine, only for it to miss. The slash went through the luckily open front doors, leaving a small scorch mark behind. The redhead growled, his fingers gripping tighter around the handle of his blade, and was glaring evilly.

Mecha-Asbel, or Mecha-Lambda, had swung to the side, dodging the attack, allowing it to bypass as if it was nothing. The real Lambda blinked in response, not expecting that, and narrowed his eyes soon after, getting ready to strike again.

"I won't lose to anyone!" There was Lambda's voice again coming from the machine.

"Oi! Oi! Don't kill him! Sophie would be so sad! She'll let out these large fat tears! And little bro will be sad, too!"

"Screw that! I refuse to have that-that-that _thing_ go around acting like me!" Lambda yelled out, ready to attack once more, only to have the robot suddenly run out of the mansion in a cloud of dust. The redhead stared, blinking for a few moments before turning to Pascal, who had wide eyes.

"Umm, I kinda programmed it to do that."

Lambda glared for a little longer before chasing, releasing a couple of curse words that weren't meant for little children's ears.

Behind, the American just scratched the back of her head. "Oops?"


	13. Running Away

Lambda had never really approved of Asbel's relationship with that pink-haired woman. He found her too needy, too annoying to his tastes. While the redhead would fawn over her, he just made some disgruntled noises in the background where only his host could hear. He didn't see what was so great about her at all, but maybe it was because Asbel's mind was already messed up as it was.

He gave a huff when he saw his host stumble over himself to say a few words, trying to ask the other out on a date. It was ridiculous. Lambda just continued to watch and observed, having nothing better to do than to just sleep and even that got boring after a while. It didn't take long for him to realize that whenever Cheria was around, he would never be in control of their shared body. It was like an unmentioned rule or something and he didn't care much for it. It wasn't as if he wanted to see her anyway. Asbel may like her, but he didn't.

Though there were some of those good points of her being motherly and caring, but at times, he just wanted to strangle her himself. It was true that among everyone, she could keep Asbel in line, him being second on that. Lambda sighed as he stretched against the back wall of the mansion, shaded from the bright sun above. All the work for today had been finished, giving him more than enough free time to enjoy a nap. He knew for a fact that Asbel within was already taking advantage of this free time, enjoying it to the fullest, and Lambda couldn't blame him. Still, as he peered up at the bright blue sky, his mind began to drift just like the clouds above. A bird or two would fly into his vision and then vanished behind a tree or the roof, never to be seen again. A couple of times a gust of wind would blow by to rustle his red hair and lull him to sleep, closing his eyes as he relaxed into the gentle breeze that seemed to calm down his rushing mind.

His ears picked up the sounds of the leaves rustling, the bugs chirping, and the birds singing. It was just peaceful, absolutely peaceful. Relaxing further into the tranquility, he didn't pick up the sounds of footsteps heading towards his direction until it was too late.

"Asbel, how many times have I told you not to sleep out here like that?"

'Oh great.' Lambda mentally grumbled and pushed towards his sleeping host to stir him awake. He didn't want to deal with this right now and yet, no matter what he tried, Asbel remained asleep. He gave a grunt and peeked one eye open to glance up at the intruder, resisting the action of doing something that would be considered stupid.

Cheria stood there with a disappointed expression, hands on her hips. "Asbel, you're going to catch a cold at this rate."

'Better make an escape before she finds out that I'm in control.' Lambda glanced around the area for an opening, sitting up. He had always known, that despite Asbel and Cheria dating, it was clear she wasn't fond of him and he couldn't exactly blame her considering he would always be there watching. It was clear that whenever he was mentioned, there was fear running through her eyes. He was certain that she believed that one day, he would take over and Asbel would never be seen again. 'Such foolish ideals, I would never destroy him. I consider him a close friend.'

"Hey, are you going to answer me?" Cheria huffed, stepping around so that she could face the other.

Lambda didn't say a word and eventually stood up, having spotted an exit. It was now or never and he had no plans on freaking Cheria out with his surprising sarcastic appearance. He would be yelled at later by Asbel if he did and there was no escaping those lectures considering they lived within the same body. At least, if he freaked her out by running away, he had an excuse. After all, between him and Asbel, it was clear who was actually smarter. Taking his mark, within seconds he was dashing off, running into the trees behind the mansion at the side. There was a startled yelp from behind, Cheria gasping out in shock from such an action, and before long, he vanished within the heavy trees. He ran quickly, sidestepping anything that got into his way until he reached an open field of sorts. It was about a twenty-minute run, but he wasn't out of breath, it was just a simple exercise. Stepping out into the center, the sun shining brightly on his form, he flopped down onto the ground with his arms spread out above his head. Closing his eyes, he drifted off once more, feeling the peace return back to him at long last, and maneuvered his arms under his head.

He'll let his host deal with the woman later; the argument between them will serve as good entertainment. For now, he just wanted to get some sleep in the warm sun.


	14. Trouble

Lambda knew for a long time that his connection with Asbel would cause him trouble sooner or later down the road. So far, despite the chaos that had entered his life, he had handled each and every situation thrown at him with a calm presence and clear mind. Of course, this was only after Asbel couldn't figure out what to do next and he had to instead. Lambda also found it amusing when he saw his counterpart pout in depression at having been outdone and he made it a point to laugh in mockery. But that was also what he liked best about the redhead. The other was so open, so willing, that doing anything bad would be make him feel guilty about it later on. Asbel just had that effect on people and even on Lambda himself.

In the end, Lambda ended up becoming the watcher of the two, making sure that Asbel didn't do something stupid and be the voice of reason. It was better this way. He watched out for everything and willingly gave his opinion over a situation he felt was needed. He hid his concern for matters behind his snide remarks, never revealing his emotions, and Asbel never minded. It was a perfect relationship between them that wasn't so normal. Those that knew about Lambda trusted him to keep Asbel safe and on the right path, well aware of their friend's ability to do something completely stupid. But when working together, they were a menace to deal with.

"So, I was told that you wanted to see me about a deal of sorts?" Asbel spoke the moment the door closed behind an unfamiliar man. He had never seen the person before and he knew everyone through his regular rounds. Perhaps the person was new in town? It was possible, but the clothes the man was wearing didn't really look like someone moving in.

"Yes, you heard correct. I need to speak to you about a matter that has grave importance." The man nodded his head and stepped closer as if he was the most important being in the room. He eventually sat down into one of the chairs, crossing his legs, and leaned back.

'Grave importance? I highly doubt it.' Lambda grumbled from the background.

Asbel ignored the comment and gave a nod in return. "Alright, I'll hear it. What's wrong?"

"Well, I've heard that there have been some attacks towards Lhant," The man spoke and the lord of the town continued to nod his head in agreement. There had been a few attacks, but it wasn't anything he and Lambda couldn't handle on their own. And if there were too many, well, the villagers were willing to stand up to protect the place, their home. There was always Richard or Hubert who would be willing to lend a hand with their military power and their bases weren't too far away either. For anyone to want to attack Lhant for their supplies, they would have to be a fool. "I was wondering if it was possible if my group…lend a hand."

"Lend a hand? How so?"

"We help protect Lhant and we get some…rewards in return."

"As much as I would appreciate help, what are these rewards you're talking about?" Asbel narrowed his eyebrows in suspicion, not liking the tone the man had taken. Even Lambda had gone quiet to listen, his presence close to the surface to eavesdrop better. The head of Lhant didn't mind, allowing their two souls to be pushed up against each other, and continued to listen to this so-called proposal.

"We want a part of the earnings and some supplies to be provided to us for free."

'That's ridiculous. How pointless.'

Asbel sighed. 'Agreed.' His multi-colored eyes peered over the man with a slight dullness he had gained over the years from dealing with these sorts of people. It wasn't anything new. He had many of these propositions multiple times in the past. "Look, I appreciate your offer, but I'll have to deny it. We get plenty of help from the King's army and Strahta's military, we don't need any additional help from outsiders."

"But they won't be here forever, or even all day. They might not make it on time if there was an attack," The man had his eyes narrowed, frustration taking effect on his expression, and his hands were gripping the arm of the chair. Asbel kept his calm despite everything, something Lambda was proud of within, and gave a heavy sigh. "You need a group like my own around as a just in case."

"Well, if such an incident happened, then I will personally take care of it. And if I can't handle it because of the mass amount of people, I'll ask the villagers to lend a hand. We've been through enough to know that everyone needs some defense training for emergencies."

'Asbel, this one is planning something.'

'I know.'

The man gave a growl before immediately standing up, storming away from the office, and slammed the door close behind. Asbel stood up to follow and closed up all his papers to make sure that everything would be where it was when he got back, the paperwork still needed to be finished. Stepping out of his office, one of the maids came by and asked him if he needed anything. The redhead gave a soft smile. "I'm just going to take care of something real quick. If there are any meetings or calls for me, please divert them to Frederic to take."

The maid bowed to him as he left and watched from the distance as the man he had spoken to storm his way through Lhant towards the north gate where he could see a group standing there. Within moments, the man had reconnected with his group, probably alerting them of what had happened, and could see the anger growing on their expressions. He sighed, knowing he had gained another troublesome idiot that wanted to take advantage of Lhant's state, and went closer knowing he would have to defend the town from idiots.

'They never learn do they?' Lambda muttered in annoyance.

'Nope.'

'Typical humans.'

'Hey, I'm human too and you're living inside a human body.'

'That's different.'

Asbel couldn't help but smile at the thought of that. 'Oh? How so?'

There was a pause before Lambda finally answered; speaking meekly as if it was a whisper, 'Because you're different.'

The redhead tilted his head and, before long, gave a smile, closing his eyes in happiness. He shook it momentarily and stepped forward to move through the streets to the gate where the group was getting clearer to his eyes. He could see their eyes turning to him when they finally noticed his presence and he stopped before them with his arms folded. "Don't try anything stupid, you're in an open area and there are guards everywhere."

'Like that's going to stop them.'

The man he had been talking to previously just glared at him, the rest of the group following. "And what makes you think they will be able to stop us from invading the place? It would take at least two to three hours before someone comes in to stop us."

Asbel was tempted to rub the bridge of his nose but kept his calm despite the increasingly dangerous situation. He had enough confidence that he would be able to protect himself and the town from a bunch of petty con-artists. "And you are aware that I've stopped plenty of your kinds before as well and destroyed a vast majority of monsters before that. If you really think you're strong enough to stop me on your own, you're welcome to try."

'If you get defeated by these monkeys, you'll be getting more than just a simple knock-out afterwards.' Lambda grumbled from their mind scape. Asbel had defeated him, Little Queen, the top knights in the country, and much more. Losing to underrate people would be unheard of and ridiculous.

Within moments and without a word, the group of men went after him, swords drawn and bows pulled back. Asbel quickly surveyed the field, taking note that among the eight fighters, there were two mages in the back, alerting him that he needed to take them out first to prevent any trouble later. He sent three 'Incineration Waves' in multiple directions, distracting those that were coming forward. And just as he planned, they either were hit in the crossfire or jumped back to dodge. It gave him enough of an opening to dash forward towards the mages and knock them out with a swift blow to their heads.

'That leaves six more.' Asbel swiftly observed the field once more, deciding to take care of the two archers since he didn't want to continuously fight off arrows from behind while defending against blades in front. The villagers of Lhant ran off immediately, giving extra room for the fight, while a couple ran off to gather help for their Lord. Asbel didn't mind fighting alone, not that he really was. Lambda was still with him.

'Asbel, let me take over.' Lambda spoke up, his presence stronger than ever before. The Lord of Lhant blinked momentarily in surprise before pushing himself back to allow his partner to take over. He didn't mind and welcomed it instead, having a strong feeling that Lambda had been bored the past few days. The moment the other took over, his once multi-colored eyes had both turned a deep purple, and the edge of their sword had an eerie glow. "Alright, my turn. Phantom Flash."

Activating the arte, he used his speed and agility to make his way around the group towards the archers in the back. A deep purple surrounded his blade, glowing as he attacked, and he had his powers surfacing to the tips of his fingers. He hit the first archer at the side, just enough to take her out without killing, and used the same attack pattern to go after the second one. It was too obvious that the con-artists were all amateurs when it came to fighting. Once the second archer fell, all that was left was those who fought with blades, from swords to knives. He smirked, unleashing his powers. This was just too easy.

* * *

"Did you have fun?" Asbel rubbed the back of his neck; his sword sheathed at his side, and turned slightly to the guards, who had finally appeared at the scene. Eight bodies were sprawled across the ground, unable to fight any longer.

'Actually, yes, I did.' The being within just hummed to himself, clearly pleased and satisfied for the moment.

The redhead just shook his head and spoke to the guards on what had happened, unable to keep the smile off his face.


	15. Treaty

Asbel stared at the paper before him in confusion, he didn't know why he was. The words and sentences were all structured just right but he had a strong gut feeling that something was hidden within the depths of those words. Just what that was though, he couldn't quite put his finger on. It made sense, all of it. He couldn't find anything outright unusual to point to nor could he see anything that would place Lhant at a disadvantage. It was… strange.

Regardless, he just couldn't bring himself to sign the document, his fingers wouldn't move, and he momentarily glanced up towards the man that had brought the paper in. The man, Marco, was the leader and strategist from the town over. He was well known for convincing people to follow him in a state of worship. It was obvious that he has gaining a steadily increasing amount of popularity, and not only from the people in his town but also from the surrounding villages. People were becoming his devoted followers and bending to his ideals. Still, Asbel couldn't help the horrible, unpleasant feeling rising in his chest as he sat in front of Marco and looked upon the paper. The treaty he had in his hands was simple; it would greatly benefit both towns, allowing them to prosper effectively. It was a treaty that Asbel and everyone else would like, but there was something that just didn't feel right, he didn't like it. Hence why needed to get to the bottom of it before he did something stupid.

'Don't go with it,' Lambda spoke in the background, his presence moving up to the surface where he could get a better chance to see and hear everything. 'It's a trap.'

'Huh? How?' Asbel tilted his head to the side as he tried to reread over the document once more

'I didn't notice it at first either, but there are some key words there that are quite misleading. On the surface it seems like both towns would be equal in ability and status, but that's a lie. This fool's town would gain profit from us, thus becoming more powerful. It's a trap that will make us hand over some of our goods free of charge.'

The redhead narrowed his eyebrows at that and leaned over to read again. However, he couldn't see what Lambda was talking about. It was impossible. Everything just made sense to him. Lambda sighed from within, knowing exactly what was going within Asbel's mind. He could hear his thoughts after all.

Marco didn't notice the shift and spoke, "Well? Do we have a deal?"

Asbel peered up and bit his bottom lip to concentrate, not sure how to answer. He knew Lambda was right - when was he not? However, he didn't know how to respond without expending unreasonable accusations. It would reflect negatively on his part as a leader than anything else. He felt his friend shifting within him and suddenly shoved him aside as he sought control of their shared body. 'Eh?' Asbel felt himself immediately losing control of his limbs, feeling a void that was quickly filled by his partner, and was placed into the background where he could only watch and listen. 'Lambda?'

The eyes shifted into their purple color, the presence of 'Asbel' had shifted into something menacing. Marco noticed it immediately, but didn't understand why or how it happened. Regardless, the other town leader took a defensive step back. Lambda huffed and tossed the document back with enough force to hit the other man on the forehead, not caring how it appeared. He ignored the arguments in his mind about his action and concentrated on the fool before him. "Leave and don't ever come back. I'm in no mood to bother with such idiocy. Did you really think you could trick me?"

"T-Trick you? Of course not! I'm not trying to trick you."

"That's bull and we both know it. It's quite clear to me while reading that document. You want it so that we give you our provisions and get nothing in return." Lambda folded his arms, glaring at the idiot with such a cold expression that, if it were able, would freeze everything in its path. "You might have gotten the other towns to follow along with your plan, but you won't get us – me - to do so as well."

"Us?" Marco raised an eyebrow at that, questioning the odd way of reference.

Lambda almost cursed at accidentally letting slip a habit gained from being within Asbel for so long, instead he went for a cover. "The townspeople and myself."

"I see." Marco stared at the leader of the Lhant suspiciously. It was quite obvious that there was a difference between the personality of Asbel and Lambda. The aura they gave off through to their habits was almost complete opposites yet, despite the conflicting nature, the two knew how to work and bend to their demands. The eye colors would have been the main give away in telling the difference, but people rarely saw it. "You're acting strangely…"

Lambda's purple eyes narrowed. "So what? My decision is final. I won't go with these plans. Leave now."

"No," The other leader continued to stare in question, the skepticism never leaving his mind. "You're completely different compared to when I was first talking to you." Lambda ground his teeth together, knowing that the man before him wasn't stupid. It was obvious considering how Marco had gotten the other towns to follow through. He was beginning to unravel the mystery behind Asbel's success on many things. "If I didn't know better, I would think you had a split personality. One is Asbel, but who is the other, the one I'm talking to right now?"

'Damn! Lambda, he's going to find out!' Asbel screamed from the background, but didn't fight back for control. He wanted to see what his companion would do first, trusting Lambda with the decision completely. He knew that when it came to smarts and outwitting people, the other was better. It was only through their combined beings that Lhant had been so successful in moving up and out of its war-torn state.

'Hmm, this is bad. This fool is too smart, that's probably why he's both the leader and strategist of his town. He's like your brother in a way, figuring out everything despite not having all the pieces.'

'Then what should we do?'

'For now? Talk. I'll see if there's something I can do or figure out in the meantime.' Lambda stepped around the desk, making his way towards Marco with his usual serious outlook. His sword wasn't at his side, but he didn't need a weapon to fight. "And pray tell, what would you do if you found out something like that? Use it against me? Tell the world?"

Marco smirked. "You know exactly what I would do."

"I see, blackmail. Still, one would wonder whether that's a smart idea considering who his close friends are. You seem like the type of person who does his research, so you should already know. However, I'll remind you: best friends with King Richard, a brother who is a major in the Strahta military, an instructor who is Fendel's ambassador, to name a few. Pissing me off will gain their attention and they would be more than willing to back up my claims against you or against anything you throw at me." Lambda could see the other wavering as he listed the names; the King's receiving a stronger reaction. Any normal citizen of Windor would cower at the thought of having the King as an enemy.

"Not to mention _me_. I will admit that you're quite brilliant in being able to deduce that there was something going on with Asbel, however, since he's my… friend and companion, I will destroy anything that so much as threatens him. If you'd like an identity to go along with me, then my name is Lambda. Although you may know me as the being that threw the entire world in discord two years ago, the being that created a massive amount of creatures that nearly destroyed everything you knew. Asbel stopped me and in the process saved me before I could do any real everlasting damage on the planet," Lambda stepped forward until he was only a foot away from Marco, a sinister smile plaguing his lips. The aura he gave off pressed into the crevasses of the room, sucking all the oxygen out of the air until Marco forgot to breathe. For each step forward, the other town leader took one back in fear. "So, are you sure you'd like to turn someone such as myself against your town? With a single strike, I can annihilate your pathetic town until all that remains is rubble. Then there's no possibility of you saying anything because you'd be dead. But, if you somehow managed to survive then it'd just be the babbling of a man who had lost everything. You'd have no proof that I was the cause either. No one would listen to you. They will simply believe that you've lost your mind to madness from all the trauma you suffered."

The other leader just stood there as he allowed to words to settle and within seconds, went running out the room, fear clearly expressed. The door was slammed open and then there was a following silence. A maid, having heard the commotion, peeked in and with a wave of his hand, she closed the doors behind.

Lambda snorted and tilted his head to the side, his arms folded against his chest. The evil look he had donned on was gone, now replaced with his normal seriousness. His lavender eyes tinted with a small hint of smugness. "Well, that takes care of that."

Asbel remained quiet within their shared mind space, unsure of how to respond, 'You know, remind me to never get on your bad side. You can be quite scary.'

'Wasn't I always scary? One would think you would be more concerned about whether what I just did was a smart move.'

'I trust you Lambda and you're better at this than me. As for the scary part: was, not anymore. You're one of my closest friends, but even my friends can scare me at times. By the way,' Asbel smiled as a brilliant radiance began to surround him, floating closer to the surface to get closer to Lambda. 'You really do care for me, don't you?! I'm really happy to hear you say that!'

"S-Shut up!" Almost immediately, Lambda's face heated up and he stomped towards the desk, flopping down like an angry child. He yelled out into the air, "You have no proof!"

Laughter was heard following Lambda proclamation, leaving the being in silence as his face turned as red as his hair.


	16. Lambda

When it came to Asbel, Lambda found himself enjoying the time he spent with his host, even when he found himself constantly teasing and taunting the other out of sheer amusement. It was… normal in a way, a habit he couldn't really break himself out of. His comments, his insults, it was his own little way of pushing Asbel along towards the right direction and so far it had worked. His method had yet to fail because he knew deep down that Asbel would succeed, Lambda was confident on that fact. His host was able to come up with ideas that would settle his strained relationship with Sophie or reconnect with his friends. It was the best Lambda could do from his position and it was also like his own way of apologizing.

In the very beginning, he wasn't exactly pleased with the idea of staying with the redhead at all times. He was disappointed with himself for residing within someone so oblivious, so stupid, and yet… after a while he found himself caring for said idiot. It was minor and unnoticeable at first but when he finally detected it, it was too late to turn back. Asbel just had a certain charm to him that made people feel at ease. He wasn't the only one to fall into that strange grasp though. He was certain that his host's companions felt the same; thus the reason why they followed him regardless of the danger.

It was funny how he'd slowly changed, forgetting about his blunt hatred that had formed from his past, and instead focus on the good in humanity. Asbel had no doubt done a good job in showing him the light, illuminating how much he was missing, the very things his creator and father-figure had wanted him to see. There was so much he had been missing, so much he could learn. To think he would have destroyed everything if he had actually completed his mission... Now that he was free from such ideologies when he looked back at his younger self he couldn't help but think of how idiotic and suicidal he must have appeared to everyone else.

Lambda was happy that Asbel had stopped him before he could have pushed any further, for now he was able to live out his life with the redhead. It was relatively worry free despite the constant threats that surrounded them. It was really during those times that he had begun to change and he knew that. His hatred was gradually dulling and becoming a little brighter with each passing day, a result of being deeply influenced by Asbel's happiness. He was enjoying life, enjoying the beauty around him, enjoying the little touches the humans gave to the world. There was no doubt that there were some darker aspects; evil humans by the way they were labeled by their horrible actions, those that needed to disappear in order to protect everyone else. Nevertheless he had learnt to overlook them, learnt that not everyone was the same. Not everyone was out there with the sole intent to harm someone else.

Looking back, Lambda had always wondered what might have happened if he had possessed Asbel instead of Richard all those years ago, if he hadn't seen the dying blond prince. How different would things have been? Would Asbel have been able to convince him all those years ago to let go of his hatred, to live in peace with everyone else? Or would he have sent Asbel to the brink of destruction just as he had done Richard? Or perhaps Richard, after being cured of his poison, have taken up Asbel's position and fought him? It was interesting to think of how things might have changed from a small split second decision. Still, the events had already unfolded, nothing could be changed now. There was no going back in time, only dreams could accomplish that. However, there was no need to change anything anyway. Everything right at that moment was perfect, absolutely perfect.

In the end, he was happy, he loved his current life even if it meant staying with Asbel until he passed onto another host. He didn't want to think about it because then there would only be him and Sophie. Still, Sophie was as good a friend as anyone, and also one that would remain with him in the future. Lambda smiled to himself within his mindscape, watching as Asbel went about his day through the redhead's eyes. He knew he had to enjoy what little time he had left with the humans he'd bonded with, hoping that he would continue to remember them even once they passed away. They were, after all, the ones who had saved him.


	17. Endless

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Similar to 'Eternal' but not at the same time and I'm going to use the "pairings" that was placed by the game at the end for this. I just wanted to expand it more. I hope you enjoy this despite its similarities.

Asbel smiled, everything was perfect. He and Cheria had gotten married just a year ago, a grand wedding that was celebrated by all of Lhant. All their friends attended, even the various kings of the nations came to join to watch their unity - Asbel wasn't too sure about them though. The following months after the marriage Cheria had gotten pregnant; they were going to have a child. Everyone was ecstatic, even more so when he was born that same year. Their son, Dabin, had been born healthy and was no doubt absolutely perfect in every way. For them, there was nothing better than him.

Months passed quickly since Dabin's birth, Cheria taking care of him mostly while Asbel continued his work as the lord of Lhant. Sophie helped play with the child, enjoying her family immensely, and there were times she would take Dabin to the flower fields to read him books. Asbel could only smile at the thought of seeing his cute son laughing and playing in the flower fields, enjoying himself like there was nothing wrong with the world. Everything _was_ perfect - he had the perfect life, the perfect family, the perfect everything.

Two more years passed and his son was quickly growing up, his features more prominent when compared to his parents. His son looked exactly like him when he was younger with the red hair and overly happy attitude. There was one thing that wasn't his though: Dabin had Cheria's eyes. Those kindhearted eyes that had been with him for years. During the time of their marriage, he and Cheria had been living together in perfect happiness. It was like nothing could get in their way.

Lambda stayed within Asbel's body and since the marriage he had been keeping quiet, but would appear now and then to talk to Sophie. Asbel didn't mind, instead he welcomed the exchange between the two, knowing very well that sooner or later it would be just the two of them left. Conversations between himself and Lambda began to get rarer, neither of the two knowing what to do about the silence. It wasn't as if there was much to talk about after all, they practically knew everything about each other Life continued onwards regardless.

More years past and he was now twenty-four, fully in tune with his work to the point where he could predict what was going to happen next. With that, he gained more free time for his family. He would read books to Dabin during his breaks while Cheria would cook snacks in the kitchen. Eventually, Sophie left to do some traveling around the world, wanting to see all that she could. Asbel knew very well that Lambda wanted to go with her, wanted to see what she was seeing, but he knew he couldn't do that. That would leave Lhant and everything he knew behind and there was no way he could do such a thing, not to his family. He knew that Lambda understood, knowing his responsibilities, but the desire didn't leave. Asbel couldn't bring himself to blame him, he understood Lambda enough to know what the other was feeling most of the time.

It was another year later that things began to get weird. It wasn't noticeable at first, but eventually, it began to rear its ugly head. No one noticed it, not even Asbel himself. It was simple conversations that generally went nowhere, the thought never truly crossing their minds.

"Dammit, Asbel! You haven't changed one bit and here I am getting older and older with each passing day!" Cheria screamed out as she looked herself in the mirror, glaring at her husband through the reflection. She was placing various creams onto her cheeks, rubbing them in as deeply as possible. "It's not fair! I wish I had those genes!"

The redhead just laughed, fixing his hair through the same mirror. "Can't help it!"

His wife just huffed and continued getting ready for the day by putting makeup atop of the creams. "I swear, at this rate I'll look like I'm ten years older than you."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Asbel! That's terrible," Cheria snapped her head towards the redhead, her cheeks puffed out. "The wife is supposed to look younger, not the other way around!"

Asbel just shook his head, done with getting ready for the day, and quickly made his way out of the bedroom. He knew when it was best to get out of there as quickly as possible; there was a hidden threat in the air. As he walked down the hallway towards his office, he paused as he passed by a large mirror, staring into it. He did look like he hadn't aged a bit. Still, it wasn't too concerning. Perhaps he just aged slower than others? His health was great after all and his mother was also aging quite slowly, simply enjoying her days outside with the flowers. Continuing on, he hummed gently to himself, happy about his current life.

More years passed and he was getting close to turning twenty-six. He was expecting a visit from Richard soon and he was overjoyed to be meeting his old friend after a year. It couldn't be helped after all, not when there was a large religious group on the rise causing widespread trouble. The general public considered them to be terrorists; a group of mad people creating chaos and destruction everywhere they went. People had lost their lives during the attacks; mainly innocents that had nothing to do with the issues. However, they were beginning to die down soon after Richard captured their head leader during one of their raids. The leader had been properly executed and the rest of the group were hunted down; making sure that there wouldn't be any regiments left to rise up again.

Asbel was quite happy at the prospect of meeting the King; getting everything quickly prepared for his arrival. The mansion was bustling, the maids and butlers getting the rooms prepared for their soon-to-be guest. Cheria was getting herself dressed up while Dabin was with Frederic who was helping him get ready. Asbel had managed to clear up his mess of a desk, preparing himself for a wonderful presentation. All of the food was up to date, the roads cleared out of monsters, and the people of Lhant were getting ready to welcome their wonderful King. Soon, Richard arrived, greeted everyone in the town with a cheerful wave of his right arm and Asbel could only laugh in amusement as the blonde was rapidly attacked by his adoring fans. It took almost a couple hours before Richard was finally free, settled inside the Lhant manor at the dining table and chatting with the rest of the Asbel family.

They exchanged their stories, all happy to see each other, before Richard finally noticed something. "You know old friend," The King chuckled as he looked at the redhead. "You haven't changed one bit! You look so young! Look at me! I've aged so much since the last time we've met."

"Oh goodness, you're right, Richard!" Cheria butted in, chuckling at Asbel's embarrassed expression, and raised her hand up against her lips. "He always looks younger than me! It's not fair!" Instead of the usual detest, it held laughter and amusement.

"Cheria, you're always complaining about that." The lord of Lhant commented from the side, his spoon settled at the side of the bowl as he attempted to move the conversation along.

Richard just laughed happily at the sight of the two, enjoying the married couple's presence. "My, my, Asbel I see you're still having trouble with the ladies even after being married for so long."

"Shut up!"

More months passed, turning into years, and yet nothing changed all that much. A larger quantity people were beginning to comment on Asbel's youth, questioning how he managed to retain his facial appearance after so many years. However, this began to reflect negatively towards Cheria. Just like they would question Asbel, they did the same towards her but in the opposite direction, commenting how much _older_ she looked. It was _never_ a pleasant subject.

"My, I never knew you were such cougar." One of the wives from another town Lord commented during a party of the local regions. They were separated from everyone else, no one able to hear their conversation over the loud music and constant chatter.

Cheria stared at the woman offensively. "Excuse me?!"

The wife just laughed in amusement, easily taunting the pink-haired woman. "You can't deny it! Your ages are so different!" She glanced towards the lord of Lhant who was happily chattering with a few men. He looked to be the youngest of the group despite being one of the oldest. "You look like you're nearing your thirties and he's, what, late teens to just barely twenty? I get it though. The younger they are; the feistier in bed, right?"

Cheria continued to glower in rage. "What nonsense are you talking about?! Asbel is the same age as me! We're both twenty-nine!"

"Really now?" The woman clearly didn't believe the announced age, the difference between the two was too much. "I don't believe you. I doubt any woman ever would. Unless he's got some sort of miraculous genes that prevent him from aging too much, then you'll forever get that type of accusation. You, my lady, are a cougar." With that, she strode away, heading towards a batch of ladies towards the back of the hallway. Cheria stood in place in shock, unable to process those words, and watched as the group of women laughed among themselves gleefully. Her eyes eventually turned towards her husband, the man she loved, and stared. It was true, Asbel looked so much younger than she was. It didn't take a fool to realize the truth.

Another year passed, and this time, it was mainly in silence. Asbel noticed it right away, spotting Cheria staring out the window or remaining in her bedroom facing the mirror. Their son, Dabin, who was now nine years of age, was looking at his mother with worry. She was no longer smiling, her cooking suffered greatly, she would crash into random things from her lack of attention, and there were times she would just start crying out of nowhere. For a while, Asbel wrote it off as depression and tried to help lift Cheria's spirits but nothing seemed to work all that well. It was like she fell further down the path of depression every time she saw him. During those separated times, many with him sleeping in the guest bedrooms, Lambda seemed to be more active. He would often talk to Asbel during his periods of loneliness. Their conversations were simple, nothing all that major, just them simply getting to know one another better. Asbel loved the conversations, they were becoming the highlight of his days and he wished they would never end.

Getting desperate, he called up the entire gang from long ago to meet up, hoping that seeing familiar faces would cheer her up. He knew that Lambda might like it, too, wanting to see the people who had once saved him all back together in one room. It had been a good idea at first, but he never thought how things might turn out.

When he saw everyone, he couldn't help but notice how everyone had aged over the years. His younger brother, Hubert, now had some gray hairs sprouting within the mass of blue. He had married to Pascal a couple of years back, causing a mild uproar among the nations. Pascal had given birth to two girls, both who were now playing with Dabin in another room, and there was no doubt that she, too, had aged just like her husband. Her hair was much longer, but the rich redness that once had been in it was now gone, dulling down to a pinkish shade. There were wrinkles visible on her face and dark circles underneath her eyes. The same went with the others - Malik and even Richard were showing their age, especially the former. Malik's hair was mostly gray now and whenever he moved there was a sign of stiffness in his joints. Richard's golden hair had grown out and there were circles under his eyes from working so hard as King over the years. The only one who hadn't changed was none other than Sophie, but she had an excuse for that.

Asbel turned around to stare at a mirror, looking over himself once more. It was noticeable, too noticeable. There was no point denying it any longer - he hadn't aged a day. Immediately upon seeing everyone, he raced up the stairs towards the bedroom, ignoring everyone's calls from behind and began shuffling through the closest. He remembered taking pictures long ago, right after the whole ordeal with Little Queen had finished. He wanted to see, to make sure.

"Asbel! What's the meaning of this?" Cheria cried out from behind, staring at her husband as if he were crazy. She was ignored as the redhead torn through the various containers, yanking out picture after picture until he reached the set he had been looking for. "Asbel?"

The lord of Lhant stared at the images, flipping through them, and stood up from his kneeled position, heading towards the mirror. He needed confirmation, he needed to know.

"What's wrong, Asbel? This isn't like you." Malik spoke from aside, staring at his ex-student in wonder.

"I knew it," Asbel muttered under his breath as he examined the picture and his reflection. Nothing had changed; nothing at all. He looked exactly how he had all those years ago. "I haven't aged a bit." The group of people stared at each other questionably, wondering what their old friend was talking about. Only Cheria seemed to understand the meaning, placing her hands up against her lips as she gasped. Immediately, Asbel spun around, revealing the pictures. "Look at this and tell me that I don't look exactly the same as I did back then!"

No one spoke, no one could. There was little difference between the two while compared to everyone else there had been changes – lots of them. Everyone had clearly aged, grown over the years, but not Asbel, he had remained the same, just like Sophie.

"It's true, isn't it?!" The redhead screamed out, daring any of them to say otherwise before turning towards his wife. "Cheria, you noticed it, didn't you? Is that why you've been so depressed? Why you avoid going anywhere with me?"

"YES!" There was a resounding silence that followed after Cheria's outburst, screaming from the top of her lungs. "It's the only reason! I get made fun of by everyone who sees us together! We're both thirty, Asbel! But you-" She pointed towards her husband, obviously identifying him as the main reason. "But you look like you're only twenty!"

At her explosion, everyone remained silent, no one able to respond until Richard stepped in. He peered between the two and sighed heavily. "How about we sit and talk about this? That way we can get everything off our minds. Surely with all of us together we can figure something out, yes?" No one bothered to voice a response, simply agreeing in silence seeing as there was no other option. No one knew how to respond and it was just easier that way. Everyone slowly filtered into the dining room, settling into the seats and kept everyone together in one corner of the table. Richard handled the rest of the issues with the staff, telling them to leave them alone for the next hour or so. The group continued to remain quiet, staring at both Cheria and Asbel questioningly, everyone wanting to say something.

"Alright," Richard started, settling into his own seat. "Let's try to think this through. There has to be a cause for this whole mess. Is there any reason as to why this might have occurred to Asbel?"

Pascal immediately responded. "Maybe Asbel drank a magical potion and became immortal."

"Shot down!" Hubert yelled out soon after, slamming his hands onto the table. "That's completely illogical!"

"Awww, but it would be so cool!"

"I have an idea," This time it was Malik that spoke up, everyone's eyes turning towards him as if he was some sort of savior. "Could it be because of Lambda?"

"That's ridiculous," Richard commented. "If that was true, then I wouldn't have aged since I was a child."

"OH! How about this?" Pascal jumped up this time, almost like she was sparkling. "When Lambda first possessed Richard, he was in a dormant state so his powers didn't influence Richard's body until later on. However, by then Lambda had already transferred over to Asbel. It wasn't long enough to have any noticeable effects. The following year, Lambda was dormant again and held no influence over the body until the Little Queen incident. It was only then that his powers began to influence Asbel's body since, after all, Lambda's power is supposed to alter a body's cells." Everyone sat in silence as they thought over those words. "How's that everyone?"

Hubert rubbed the bottom of his chin and then nodded his head. "Yes, that would make absolute sense. It would explain everything in a way. It's the most logical outcome. However, if that's true then…" He trailed off, his eyes trailing up to Asbel for a moment before sighing heavily. "It's too late. Even if we were to transfer Lambda or stop his abilities from influencing your body, the damage is already done. You will most likely start to age, but from whatever age your body is currently at. You'll forever be a decade behind all of us."

"No…" Cheria looked absolutely heartbroken at that result. "That can't be… true."

As the news settled between the group, only one person looked positively happy about the whole thing. Sophie tried to hide the smile on her face and momentarily clapped her hands together happily. However, she didn't care reveal it to anyone, knowing they would be upset. For her, she had someone else that would remain with her. It was all that mattered.

In the end, there was little anyone could do, no one able to rebuke that theory. They couldn't transfer Lambda to anyone else since Asbel was the only one that could really contain Lambda's power beside Richard. However, they knew better than to give the King him after what happened in the past – it was impossible. Upon learning the truth about Asbel's condition, Cheria began to back away from her husband. She couldn't help it; she couldn't stand the thought of the person she married being unable to live alongside her. Instead, she focused more on their son, spending more time with him at every given moment. Asbel tried to do the same, but things became hard whenever Cheria and he were in the same room, a thick tension growing between them. After a while, he began to hang around Sophie instead, the purple-haired girl done with her exploring for the time being to remain home. She was waiting for the time when Asbel could leave with her, taking Lambda along so that they could all be together. That was all that mattered and there was no doubt that Lambda knew that as well.

More years passed and Asbel was now thirty-five. Nothing had changed to him, but everything else has. His son was now fifteen and he was already asking questions about his father, whose physical age wasn't too far from his own, as well as Sophie. The explanation was troublesome due to Dabin's lack of understanding, but he stopped after a while, figuring that it wasn't something that could be explained, that and the fact that his precious mother would start crying at each mentioning. Asbel began to leave the mansion less often due to the questioning stares, unable to take it, and hid inside his office to keep himself away from the judgmental eyes. It wasn't until Asbel turned forty with Dabin now twenty that he left the household, leaving the town of Lhant to his son. It was better this way after all. It was beginning to become too obvious to the residents that Asbel Lhant wasn't aging like everyone else; they were beginning to view him as some sort of freak. Sophie went with him, keeping the redhead company, and they vanished into thin air.

Every now and then, people might see Asbel and Sophie around Lhant like they were visiting, sneaking around the streets to prevent as many wandering eyes as possible. They would check up on their family, staying over for a week or two before disappearing again. Dabin was almost twenty-five himself, married to some pretty lady he had found in another town and was about to have a child soon. Both immortals made sure to visit more often in order to see the expanding family.

The next time people really saw Asbel was ten years later during Frederic and then his mother's funeral. People viewed it odd that their Lord's father looked the same as always, much younger than the son. However, the family refused to answer the questions, best leaving it in the dark.

When Dabin turned fifty, Cheria became ill with a sickness that was spreading rapidly across Lhant like wildfire. It was highly communicable, the infection rate spreading too fast to contain. The babies and elderly immediately suffered the most, their bodies unable to fight back while everyone else recovered just fine. Cheria was around seventy by then and became one of the many that was taken away by the disease. Both Asbel and Sophie cried at losing a person they dearly loved along with the rest of the town, everyone suffering equally. The following years their close friends began to follow in Cheria's footsteps - all slowly passing away. Neither of the two could bear it, falling into depression at watching everyone around them perish, and Lambda became the one person who kept the two together. It was the only way the group could handle all the tragedy that was appearing before them, simply using each other as comfort.

* * *

"Logan, look. I want you to meet some people." An elderly man who was obviously beginning to show his age kneeled down before a young child. His red hair was already graying and his movements were weak from the deterioration of his bones, but he was still had enough energy to get around.

"Grandpa Dabin?" The child spoke curiously, glancing towards the man and woman standing behind his grandfather. The young boy was only around five or six, playing with his toy ball that was within his hands.

"I want you to meet these two old friends of mine, Asbel and Sophie." Dabin spoke, smiling kindly as he peered down at child before looking back up at his father with a strong fondness radiating within his eyes.

Asbel kneeled down and reached forward, patting Logan over the head. "Hello, Logan, it's nice to meet you. I'm Asbel."

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So if you're questioning why I used Dabin as the son's name, I absolutely have no clue. I just typed in something and went 'bam done'. Was the son's name ever revealed? If not, then Dabin is fine.


	18. Dogs

'What's that?' Lambda's voice echoed within Asbel's mind, snapping the redhead up from his paperwork. He narrowed his eyes in confusion, wondering what the other was talking about before looking up towards the front of the room. There he saw a large male dog peeking in from the open door, his nose sniffing the sides. However, when the beast turned towards Asbel's way, it gave a loud bark and stepped further in with his tail wagging behind. The oversized tongue was hanging out towards the side and the dog suddenly sat down in the middle of the room, watching the lord of Lhant who was behind his desk.

'It's a dog, don't you know?' Asbel stood up from his desk to head around and kneeled down before the pet, patting his legs to get the beast's attention. The tail immediately moved faster and the dog gave another bark, raising his right paw up to pat the ground. The redhead just smiled at the sight. "Here, boy."

'I've seen dogs in picture books long ago, but I've never actually saw one in person before. Before meeting you, I never really got a chance to pay attention to such things.' Lambda answered from within, watching as the dog came closer with a cheerful expression.

'I see. Well, this is Hunter. He was my dad's dog, but you rarely ever see him around the house honestly. I think this is the first time in months really. My dad used to take him out hunting for fun or when there were monster attacks as backup. However, Hunter is pretty old now. He's well into his years and spends most of the days upstairs in Mother's room or outside.' Asbel spread his arms just as Hunter plowed into him, licking his face rapidly with a heartwarming bark. A small giggle made its way up through Asbel's throat as he enjoyed the attention he was receiving from his old friend. The massive furball with his speedy start knocked the adult back onto the floor, continuing his attack over the redhead's face repeatedly. Shifting forward to get a better lick, the dog ended up lying on top of his master, looking quite proud of himself.

Asbel couldn't help but laugh at the tickle fest, bending his head back as Hunter moved his large tongue across his neckline. Lambda just watched in interest, able to feel the same sensations as his host currently was. It was only then that the redhead switched positions with the other, letting Lambda take control of their shared body. The immortal blinked questionably when he realized what happened before he was immediately struck down by a slobbery tongue. It took him moments for his mind to begin working to focus on the creature before him. "W-What?"

Asbel could be heard laughing within their shared mind space while Lambda humorously attempted to defend himself from the so-called beast. A few snickers slipped through the redhead's lips, trying to shove aside Hunter, but the ticklish feeling was overwhelming. 'I think he likes you.'

"Well, we're in the same body. Of course he likes me!" Lambda grumbled and managed to place both hands underneath the dog's arms, lifting the beast up. The tail continued to waggle wildly behind and Hunter just barked happily in response, his large eyes staring downwards. It was like there were sparkles in the dog's eyes. Now that there were no slippery kisses involved, Lambda could easily look over the dog, feeling the soft fur in his hands. "So this is a dog…"

'He knows all sorts of tricks like sit and down. He's such a good boy.'

"I see. Alright, sit, Hunter." As those words passed through Lambda's mouth, Hunter pulled back slightly to sit, staring at the human happily. Slowly, the redhead reached forward, running his fingers over the top of the head of the dog and rubbed deeper into the ears. The dog shifted closer, nuzzling into the offered hand, and let out a small whine in content. A tiny smile graced Lambda's lips. "This _is_ quite nice. Good boy, Hunter."

Asbel just beamed within, watching as the other continued to pet with the animal, not minding at all that his paperwork was piling up behind on his desk.


	19. Sick

Cough.

Cough.

Asbel grumbled and sighed heavily as he felt his throat drying up. His entire body felt horrible. He rolled around in his bed and placed a hand over his head in an attempt to apply pressure to his forehead. His head throbbed painfully and he closed his eyes as he looked out the window, despising the light that was shining so brightly. It wasn't helping his headache. No, instead it just made it worse by burning his retinas.

He coughed once more and tossed the covers over his head in frustration, taking the light away from his face. He didn't want to see it. With the darkness underneath, his headache lightened up but didn't disappear and he buried his forehead into the pillow for comfort. The softness felt nice against his burning face and he sighed blissfully in contentment. That was, until there was a knock on the door.

"Lord Asbel?"

The redhead grumbled gently under his breath, not wanting to get up from his spot, and tightened the bed sheets around his body – almost like a cocoon. He gave another cough and squeezed his eyes shut, ignoring the person outside and new set of knocks. He knew who it was, that voice was easy to identify after all these years.

'So this is what being sick feels like…' Lambda commented from within their mindscape, adding to Asbel's throbbing headache. Since they shared the same body, there was no doubt they both felt the effects the same affliction. 'I don't like it…'

'You're not the only one.' Asbel sighed again, curling his body up to return to the land of dreams. He didn't want to do anything else but sleep.

However, the knocks echoed throughout the room once more. Only this time, the door opened, revealing Frederic. The old man peeked inside cautiously, not wanting to intrude, and immediately spotted the bundle nestled in the bed. He chuckled fondly and pushed the door wider to slip inside. Apparently it had been a long time since he had last seen his master acting in such a way. It was like the adult wanted to act like a child for once. "Lord Asbel, you must get up."

"Don't want to…" The redhead grumbled from underneath the sheets, his voice cracking and he shifted deeper into the blankets to hide. He didn't even bother to open his eyes much less poke his head out from underneath.

Frederic shook his head at the sound of his master's voice and stepped closer. "Are you, by any chance, sick? You don't sound very good."

"I think so." Finally, Asbel reluctantly sat up, the covers falling off his body, and peered up at the older man with a frown. He coughed twice, his right hand going up to cover his mouth, before collapsing back onto the bed as if he had been defeated. He hadn't noticed before but his cheeks were fiery red like his hair and his headache throbbed painfully from the movement he made. A warm hand touched his forehead and he peered up to see Frederic leaning over him, feeling for a temperature. He closed his eyes to break away from the light, taking a deep breath.

The butler looked a little surprised as he pulled his hand away. "My, you're running a fever. You are most definitely sick," He examined the Lord of Lhant and sighed heavily. "You shouldn't get out of bed today; instead take that time to recover. For now I'll handle your paperwork as best as I can and I'll ask the maids to get you something to eat. You are not allowed to stress your body lest you make your illness worse."

"I see. Thank you, Frederic," Asbel sighed heavily, grateful for the other doing so much. "If there is anything you don't understand or you believe only I should sign it, put it to the side or you can bring it up to me later today. I might feel better after getting some food in me."

'Or worse…' Lambda commented, shifting from within.

'Stop that, Lambda…' The human almost wanted to pout but resisted so that he didn't look too odd in front of Frederic. "Is there any way you could get someone to give me some medicine? But make sure you don't put too much stress or duties on your shoulders either, Frederic."

"Oh ho ho, don't worry about me. I may be old, but I can still work just fine." Frederic just bowed his upper body and slipped out the bedroom door, closing it behind him with a sharp click. This left the redhead alone in bed, all by himself with Lambda. Asbel sighed depressingly, not at being alone, but at knowing very well that his paperwork was about to double by tomorrow or maybe more if things don't go too well. Slowly, he rose up, all the while ignoring the pounding in his head to swing his feet over the edge. He coughed softly as he stood up and slowly made his way towards his windows, shutting the curtains to block out the cursed sun. The room instantly went dark from the lack of light, making the setting perfect to sleep in.

'Never thought I'd hate the sun like this…'

Asbel chuckled weakly. 'You're not the only one,' With some struggling he managed to get everything shut tight and slipped away towards his bed. He didn't want to be standing any longer than necessary, not when everything was starting to spin around. Collapsing back into bed, he bounced gently from the mattress before lazily crawling up towards his pillow to bury his face into the softness. With a few lethargic movements, he was back under the sheets, about to close his eyes. 'I hate getting sick.'

'I hate it, too. You humans are too vulnerable to sickness.'

Asbel chuckled lightly. 'But being human isn't too bad, right?'

At first, Lambda didn't answer before finally sighing from within their shared mindscape. 'Yes, you're right. Being human now and then isn't too bad.'

With a smile, the redhead closed his eyes, desiring to fall asleep as quickly as possible. He wanted to sleep his illness off so he buried his face deeper into the pillow, hoping that everyone would leave him and Lambda alone to recover. Well, he could hope. His household wasn't exactly normal after all.


	20. Battle

Lambda narrowed his eyes slightly, immediately going for the sword that was against his hips. He growled, was it another assassin, a thief thinking they had gotten a good target, or perhaps just a simple monster? Regardless of the menace, the redhead kept his defenses up just in case as kept moving, heading towards a more open area. He hadn't thought that a simple stroll outside of Lhant would get him into trouble so soon. It was unusual for anything to happen this close by anyway. The guards were pretty decent at doing their jobs and keeping trouble away. At least, they knew when to call for help when things began to get too rough. Perhaps they'd been lacking these past few days? It was always possible, Lhant had been quite peaceful recently. Anyone would start slacking after a while.

As he moved towards a more open field, still aware that he was being followed, he mentally prepared himself for the resulting battle that could occur at any moment. His fingers gripped the handle of his sword tightly, keeping himself calm. He was tempted to fire off a few of his spells at the intruders but instead decided it would be wiser if he didn't.

'Lambda?' Asbel spoke from within, feeling a little concerned about the situation. He was tense despite not being the one on the field, this stemmed from his loathing of the feeling of being watched and examined.

'I know. I sense a couple of them. Too many to count, but they haven't struck yet, oddly enough. Now would be the perfect moment.' Lambda narrowed his purple eyes, lowering his head to cover them slightly and peered back into the bushes when they rustled. The enemy group wasn't surrounding him but they seemed to be crowding around in one area. That told him that it was either an amateur group of thieves or a pack of monsters. Assassins were immediately crossed out; they worked separately and on their own. Also, they would be trying to surround him from all sides to trap him in, an attack formation at the ready. This was too simple to be classified as that. It gave him some relief, knowing that the battle wouldn't be too bad. Assassins were always harder to fight off. Still, the tension in the air grew, never once fading. 'I guess I should attack first before something happens. To get the upper hand…'

And that was exactly what he did. Lambda spun around and instead of sending his sword out, he called out his powers from deep within his form and felt them surging up at his request. Immediately, he sent a dark sphere toward the hiding group, watching in satisfaction when the area surrounding it exploded. He doubted it was enough to kill. It would only cause some serious damage to prevent them from moving, thus offering him the advantage.

However, he didn't want to take any chances and jumped back a few times to draw his sword. And just in time, too.

A double blade came down at him, clashing with his own, and Lambda was forced to use his physical strength to his advantage in an attempt to shove the other back. He momentarily got a good look at the figure but was disappointed at the sight. Lambda was unable to see anything through those brown robes the enemy had decided to don, leaving the person unrecognizable. The hair was barely in view, fluttering in and out at the person's movement. Although, he couldn't help but note that the weapons looked somewhat familiar.

He didn't get much time to think on it though when the man went for another strike. Lambda smirked this time, reaching into one of his companion's artes and drew out their shared abilities. "Swallow Seal!" He ducked underneath the attack, spinning around, and struck deep enough to leave a light gash across the side. The enemy had dodged at the very last moment.

However, his moment of victory was short lived when he felt the surge of cryas flowing around him. A spell, he recognized. The hairs on his skin rose up, feeling the electricity around his body, and he jumped right out of the way before the spell was set off. He recognized it as Indignation and soon a cold breeze surrounded him, forcing him to jump up and away as Frigid Coffin enclosed on his previous area followed by Maelstrom.

'Okay, not amateurs. Guess I don't need to hold back.' Lambda thought to himself and went for the attack, aiming for the two spell casters in the back. There were six members of the group in total, four of them constantly casting spells from different locations to keep him occupied. The other two were at the front in hopes of keeping him distracted, one wielding a long sword and the other using some metal gauntlets.

'This seems somewhat… familiar.' Asbel thought within their mindscape, watching over the battle carefully.

'You're not the only one who thinks that.' The redhead ground his teeth as he allowed more of his powers to flow through his body and immediately went on the offense. Jumping around the other physical fighters, he went to the back, kicking a spell caster, female in appearance, in the stomach and sent her flying back into a tree. He spun around and sent a blast of darkness towards the other two, knocking them off their feet and successfully interrupting their spells. Soon after, he ducked under a swing of the sword and brought his own up only to have them clash. The two blades ground against each other as sparks flew and Lambda's purple eyes stared over the faltering figure. "Who are you?"

His voice rang out but no one answered, instead the enemy swordsman jumped back to gain distance. Lambda paused. He could feel it, multiple spells from all around. He sneered angrily as he examined the field and stared at the five remaining assailants who were just beginning to finish their chanting. Cursing wildly underneath his breath, he placed his arms outwards to summon his familiar purple shield just as the spells went off, an explosion occured in the surrounding area. Dust covered the area, preventing anyone from seeing past it.

"Did we get him?"

"I think we kinda went overboard. Oops!"

"Idiot! We're not supposed to kill him!"

"Do you think he's alright?"

The group wandered back together as they spoke among each other but it was soon silenced when the air seemed to condense. It was shifting and the dust swirled, revealing Lambda completely unharmed and scowling. The group backed up at that, feeling the rage radiating off of the redhead.

"Are you assassins after the Lord of Lhant?" Lambda's voice rang out, full of command as his fingers gripped onto the handle of the sword tightly. His purple eyes were narrowed in rage and his powers began to materialize around him, pulsating at his emotions. When he got no answer he growled. "I see. So you are. Then I won't hesitate in killing you. I will not allow anyone to harm Asbel."

There seemed to be a pause among the group as if the words were settling in their minds. However, Lambda took advantage of the freeze and struck. He wouldn't allow them to act like before, he was fully intended to end this now. His movements and speed were on a different level from before. He dashed around the group before they could start anything and began to strike randomly to capture their attention. Many raised their weapons up to block but with Lambda's full power flowing through him and Asbel's skilled swordsmanship, he was able to bypass everything and went for the sides. Unluckily for the two, their enemies' dodging capabilities were topnotch and they jumped to the side but not without suffering some injuries.

"Expunding Sword!" Lambda called out as he jumped into the air to gather a powerful surge of energy around his blade and struck the ground. The area shattered under his power and he could hear the screams of his enemies in shock at what he had done. Pulling his sword back up, he jumped back a few times to gain some distance.

He could hear the yelling and calls for help among the ground, dust dashing around the area, then it went quiet. His weapon was still at his side as he muttered a few words to Asbel within. It was during his small conversation with the other that he saw a shift in the air and then a fist coming straight at him through the dust. Lambda couldn't hide the widening of his eyes, watching as a gauntlet slammed into his sword, a familiar burning sensation running down his entire body. A bright light came soon after and, oddly, his body reacted, screaming out in pain.

'Lambda!'

The person who had caused the damage stood there in confusion by the looks of it and then nodded to herself. She got back into a fighting position and went to strike again. Lambda went to block, only to yell in pain as the sensation coursed through his body once more, leaving him still. He jumped further back, grinding his teeth together in frustration, and felt Asbel quickly taking control.

The stance shifted and the dark powers Lambda controlled disappeared, the eyes now multi-colored, one purple and the other blue. He flipped his sword around, adjusting his grasp on it. This time, he went on the offense and went after the small sized female, when they connected, there was no light, no painful feeling coursing through him. He could hear the gasp from the other, not expecting whatever she had done not to work anymore.

"Alright, it's my turn," Asbel smirked, spinning around and slammed the hilt of his blade into the girl's stomach before going for a kick to send her away. "I don't know who you guys are but you picked the wrong person to attack. You should have done your research before attacking us." He then went towards the dual-blader, seeing the person trying to heal himself and the others. "Shockwave!" A burst of fire flew in front of him, startling the other for a moment and caught the brown garb aflame at the same time. Immediately, the person tore off the cloth, revealing his identity underneath.

Asbel gasped in shock, recognizing the blue hair and glasses. There was only one person who could fit that description, only one that he knew. "H-Hubert!?" His stance dropped instantly, his shock obvious to everyone in the area, and for a moment, they froze in response. Asbel almost dropped his blade when Lambda scolded him from within, tightening his hold around his weapon. "Why are you attacking us?"

There was momentary confusion in the blue-haired male's expression. "Us?" He wasn't the only one, the others beside were doing the same and peered at each other curiously.

"Yes, Lambda and I. _Us_." Asbel sheathed his blade and stepped closer, examining the rest of the individuals. Now that things had calmed down and Hubert's identity had been revealed, he was able to make out the rest from their form and abilities. It was everyone he had traveled with except for Richard. "Did all of you decide to jump us today or something? I swear we haven't done anything… I think," He turned slightly away from the group, speaking towards his old friend within. "Hey, you didn't do anything, did you, Lambda?"

'No, I didn't. I haven't seen any of them for a while. At least a month if you exclude Sophie who lives with us.'

"I thought so," The redhead turned back to the group with an eyebrow raised. "So, what are you all doing here anyway? You know, there're better ways to say hello than outright attacking us." Scratching the back of his head, he took a step back and then peered at the person he had attacked. She was still on the ground, her face covered by the garb. "Sophie, are you alright? I didn't hurt you too much, did I? If I did, sorry about that. Lambda said sorry, too."

'No, I didn't.'

"I'm saying it for you." Asbel huffed as he spoke one-sided again and kneeled down to pull the brown garb back, watching as it fell. However, the moment he did his eyes widened once more.

'Asbel, that's not…'

The redhead jumped back, peering over the supposed Sophie in shock. It wasn't possible, her hair, her body, it was like he was looking at a younger version… It was the version before they had fought Little Queen with her hair all up in pigtails. It couldn't be her. "You're not Sophie…"

This made the girl widen her eyes and step back in fear as if his words had painfully struck her, unsure on how to respond. The so-called Sophie took a few jumps back to gain some distance before running back towards Cheria, hiding behind the pink-haired female. Asbel took that moment to examine the group once more, looking over each and every person carefully. It was only then that he noticed it. They all looked younger - smaller. They weren't the adults he was used to and he blinked as if thinking his eyes were playing on tricks on him. Then, his eyes turned towards a single individual in the back, still covered, but holding a familiar sword – a sword he once owned.

"Wait a second…"

'Please don't tell me…'

The said individual pulled back the cover, revealing a younger version of Asbel. It was when he was still a teenager, holding a blade he had used against both Richard and Lambda so long ago. The older Asbel just stared, unsure on how to comprehend this sight. How was he supposed to react? He was seeing a younger version of himself, it was startling.

Well, apparently, Lambda reacted for him. The immortal immediately sought control of their shared body and sneered angrily. "You have got to be kidding. One Asbel is enough, now there are two of you to deal with?!" The obvious shift between the two personalities startled most of the group, not expecting the change. The eye color, facial expression, and the voice that slipped through those lips were so different between the two. "Go back to whatever time you came from!"

'Lambda!'

"No, seriously, Asbel. These idiots are obviously from the past judging by how young they look. They can't be from our time. Sophie here is a clear indication of that. You'd have to be a fool to not realize that something isn't right."

Asbel shrunk down at that within the mindscape, examining the group through their shared eyes. It was true, they were different and it was clear that they were too young. Lambda was right, he was always right. It was something Asbel was glad about. 'Then how did they get here?'

"How should I know? I don't deal with that type of stuff."

The group continued to watch the one-sided argument between the older Asbel and Lambda, only able to hear one part. The young group of heroes was unsure on how to react towards this setting, unable to speak up.

Lambda suddenly snapped his attention towards the group and stomped forward, watching in satisfaction as they flinched. "Hey, what the hell were you doing _before_ you got here?"

A few stuttered at the sudden attention, not expecting it. Some even backed down, not used to the usual Asbel's new behavior. Only Malik was able to stand up, looking strong despite not seeing his usual younger student or those familiar expressions. It was difficult. "We were heading through Ghardia Shaft and we entered one of those dream-like portals. After seeing a vision, we found ourselves here with these brown cloaks on. It was a few moments later that you came walking by. We honestly thought you were nothing more than just an illusion and struck to fight our way out."

"Well obviously we're not," Lambda shifted his feet, folding his arms across his chest, before humming gently to himself. His multi-colored gaze unnerved a few people but he didn't care, only thinking deeply on the subject. "I wouldn't be surprised if the cryas reacted somehow. You _were_ close to the center, anything can happen."

"That's what I thought, too!" Pascal jumped in, wildly swinging her arms around with a massive grin. "The cryas in those areas are extremely condensed, any small offsetting and kaboom! Explosion!" Her arms were wide and she kept a smile on her face despite what she was talking about. Her companions just stared, trying to figure out what the woman meant.

Lambda rubbed the center of his nose, figuring he was probably the only one who could actually explain it. He heard Asbel laughing in the background, but ignored it. "Basically, anything can happen," Eyes turned back to him, unnerving him slightly. "Her type of explosion isn't what you think it is. When cryas mix like that an explosion that can open a portal or tear the fabric of space may occur. In your case, it was time."

"And the world just knows how to fix itself of these mistakes, too!" Pascal cut in, jumping up and down in joy. Her long scarf fluttered rapidly behind her and when she hopped one last time, she spun around before pointing a finger outwards randomly. "Eventually a few tears will open to make us go back so that everything is balanced once more. What happens afterwards is unknown."

Hubert raised an eyebrow from underneath his glasses before snapping at the white and pink-haired woman, "What do you mean it's unknown?"

"Like if we can all come out as one single body!" The glee in her voice didn't resemble how the others' reactions to that. Many weren't too keen on sharing a body with each other much less with the hyperactive member of the group. The younger Asbel made a face, staring down at the ground, unaware that Lambda was looking at him curiously. "We could be missing body parts or… or we could be forever lost in spa-"

"Memories," Lambda found it right to interrupt, snapping everyone's attention towards him. "It was memories that you lose. More specifically, of now – of this time. Asbel doesn't remember a single thing that had happened and seeing as he's all in one piece, I expect that's what happened. It's simply a deduction."

"Aw, don't be such a spoil sport! It'd be interesting if something happened!"

"Be quiet, you were making things worse than they seem." Lambda perked up slowly when he felt a shift in the area, his powers sensing something coming. He glanced at the group before him, knowing every well what they'll be facing soon once they get back to their correct time. He smirked and folded his arms, revealing an expression of fondness. "Before you go, I should let you know," He caught everyone's attention and chuckled. "Things will work out for a reason. So don't be afraid."

Before anyone could respond a tear opened up behind everyone and those within the area besides Lambda were immediately dragged in. It was like they were being forcefully pulled and there was one split second where Lambda peered at the younger Asbel, giving a nod towards the redhead. And then it was over, the tear closing up and leaving no presence behind. The air was silent as everything settled back into a normal state, leaving the redhead in the center of the field all on his own. He closed his eyes, his consciousness traveling to Asbel's side as he pushed the other forward. He knew his partner would say something, anything at any moment about the way he had acted but nothing came. The immortal just observed curiously before smirking in amusement, knowing exactly what he wanted to say. Asbel knew it as well - it didn't take much to tell.

The lord of Lhant took control of their shared body and began to make their way back home, knowing that it had been a long day. Neither of the two spoke to each other, it wasn't necessary after all. They already knew.

' _Thanks for saving me and showing me the world, Asbel._ '

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE END! It's finished! Yes!
> 
> Well, I hope you enjoyed this last chapter. I felt it was kinda rushed near the end but it was beginning to get too long so yeah. Well, thanks for reading and leaving behind all those reviews. Sorry for those whose requests I wasn't able to get to, there were just too many and very little chapters to go through but I still hope that everything turned out fine.
> 
> Thanks!


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